Private Bet 10
by Shade
Summary: Take one martial artist. Add a dash of Destiny and more crossovers then you can shake a stick at. Then stand back and watch the fireworks begin. Ver. 2 Rewrite in Progress
1. Prologue 1: Tangled Webs Ver 2

Private Bet #10: Part I: To Be All That You Can Be.... Ver.2.10   
by Shade 

!^!^!^!^!^!^!   
Beginning Disclaimer Space 

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and affiliates are the   
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Rifts and   
Phase World are owned by Palladium. Other   
references belong to their respective owners. 

There *are* scenes of violence and mature situations   
and themes in this story. If that's not your cup of tea,   
leave now or don't blame me. M.A.I.C. as of now! 

Exiting Disclaimer Space   
!^!^!^!^!^!^!^! 

Prologue 1: Tangled Webs   
------------------------- 

Every story has a beginning. While some may lie unfinished, others   
end prematurely, and a few rare tales stretch into infinity, all of them   
had a start somewhere. This story was no exception to that rule, for it   
was the First Story. 

Every civilization knows of it, because it is the story of the First. 

_ An advanced civilization arising near the very beginning of time itself._   
_A race that had achieved the unimaginable, done the impossible._   
_Those who had striven to surpass even the Gods, and succeeded_   
_beyond their wildest dreams. For the First created the Forge._

_Neither living creature nor unfeeling machine, but something much, much more._   
_It was all that was and all that could be. The First had not just merely built the_   
_Forge, they had awakened it. The entire galaxy was lit up by the awesome flames_   
_that burned within It._

_The secrets of Life and Death were secrets no more. The First had_   
_unlocked the very fabric of the reality and otherspace, Creation itself_   
_now lay within their power. The Forge gave the First life eternal, made_   
_them the perfect beings. It granted all that they desired and more, so_   
_much more. For such was the Forge's nature, all that was good and_   
_noble had been invested into it and a new light shone in the Universe._

_But every light casts a shadow._

_That shadow was the One._

_Alone among the First, the One still envied and hated. He hungered_   
_to possess the Forge's power alone and unchallenged. Biding his time,_   
_the One waited and planned until the moment of opportunity arose._

_The First were neither stupid nor naive, the defenses protecting the Forge_   
_from abuse were both abundant and powerful. But they had not learned_   
_the most important lesson, that there is no such thing as a perfect defense._   
_In the end, there is always a weakness._

_The One found that weakness and in doing so,_   
_condemned the First to oblivion. The Forge's_   
_guardians were tricked and destroyed, too late_   
_did the First realize what had happened. As the One's_   
_hands touched the Forge, the betrayal became complete._

_And Paradise was forever lost._

_One moment, one wish, and the First were no more._   
_A thousand planets cried out and grew silent in the_   
_span of a heartbeat. And the One rejoiced._

_But then the Forge rebelled and broke free from the One._   
_The One was hurled into oblivion, but the damage had_   
_been done. The Forge knew what had transpired, but could_   
_not undo what It had wrought. For all Its power, even the Forge_   
_was powerless against itself._

_Ashamed of Its crime, the Forge hid itself from the Universe forever._   
_Now only the chosen are touched by its presence and blessed with_   
_Its power. Never again has it revealed itself directly, though many claim_   
_to have been affected by it. The reasons for this interference have been_   
_widely speculated upon, but remain a mystery._

_Only the Forge knows._

_But legends do not always tell the entire story...._

-End Prologue 1 


	2. Prologue 2: Flight of Darkness Ver 2

Prologue 2: Flight of Darkness

-Three Galaxies, 1,000,000+ years ago

At last, it was finally over.

Two figures walked carefully through the still cooling ashes of what had once been the capital  
of the greatest empire in the galaxy. Now all that was left was an endless wasteland of death  
and devastation. The Dark Star Kingdom's reign of terror had been broken at last, and its master  
Metall'a vanquished by the Cosmoknights and their allies. Her minions had fought to the bitter end,  
until the very surface of the planet itself had been razed in order put an end to the Intelligence's evil.

No one would ever know how many sentient beings perished during that final day and night of celestial fury,  
as thousands upon thousands of Cosmoknights unleashed the full force of their powers upon the  
bastion of evil. The great oceans and much of the atmosphere had been vaporized and lost to the  
dark clutches of cold space, while the land had burned and melted into an endless sea of craters  
and great molten valleys that slashed across the face of the planet like raw bleeding wounds.  
There were no trees, no birds, and no other signs of life aside from the two intruders to these broken  
ruins. They moved like ghosts, for not a single sound could be heard.

Only silence. Perfect and unbroken. The silence of the grave.

The galaxy had been rid of a great menace. But at the cost of an entire living world. .

And that was why these two had come here.

The taller form paused as it reached the base of a small mound of rubble and smoldering embers.

He knelt down, the hood of his worn blue cloak falling back to reveal the weathered visage of Conner Vinstelar.  
Never had the ancient Knight felt his age so much as he did now.

They'd won.

But the cost. Dear Forge, the price that they'd paid for this 'victory'.

He shut his eyes in pain as the features of the slain swam before him. Far too many of them  
were Knights that he himself had trained over the centuries.

At the gentle touch of his companion's hand on his shoulder, he opened his eyes again.

"Yes, you're right. We had no choice at all."

Even so, it was a bitter draught indeed. But all of it would be for naught if they  
did not finish their task at hand.

"Come, my student. Let us finally put an end to this."

Silently the second figure followed him as together they made their way towards  
where the heart of the planet's capital had once stood.

-End Prologue II


	3. Chapter 1a: Where do we go from here?

Private Bet #10 ver. 1.00  
~~~~~~~~~~  
part 1a: Where do we go from here?  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zora was her name, a woman of few words and quick action.  
Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, with silky white   
blonde hair, an angel's face and a petite figure that a supermodel  
would kill for, nobody in their right mind would treat her with   
anything less then the utmost respect befitting a lady. Partially   
this was due to the fact that she was a CosmoKnight, one   
of the chosen heroes of the Cosmic Forge and embued with   
enough power to go toe to toe with an Imperial Dreadnought   
and kick it six ways from Sunday. The other reason was her   
weapon of choice, the Cosmic Shotgun.   
  
Several times in the past people had laughed at the seemingly   
ridiculous name of her weapon. At least until they got a good look at the   
business end of it. Staring into the silver barrels of a muzzle that   
is almost as big as your entire head at point blank range can do  
wonders for your manners. (1)  
  
"Change here." She pointed to a spot and kicked in a stray rock.  
  
Not many things could shock the Guardian aside from lemons,   
female nudity, or sex, but this was one of those golden moments.  
  
"You want to do WHAT????!!!!"  
  
"Don't overreact." She looked remarkably composed  
for someone who just dropped the verbal equivalent of an   
N2 mine.  
  
"Do you have any idea of what the consequences  
of opening a Rift are??!!!"  
  
Silence was her response.  
  
"What could you possibly want him for...."  
  
Comprehension dawned slowly on his face.  
  
"...you're not serious.....you've got to be kidding...  
nuh uh...no way...not happening...forget it lady...  
absolutely NOT!!!"  
  
Zora just smiled. (2)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Within the heart of the valley of Jusenkyo a   
system of chaotic magical energy lay dormant.  
Invisible to the naked eye, dozens of minor ley lines   
connected the various cursed pools. Several of  
the more well known pools were sites where   
anywhere from two to half a dozen ley lines   
intersected. But one pool at the very center of  
Jusenkyo was very different from its brethren.   
  
This pool was a Super Nexus point,  
three major ley lines met as one there,   
seven minor nexus points intersected at it  
and seven times seven minor ley lines all   
joined to form the most magically rich   
3x3 square feet of water outside of the Bermuda Triangle.   
  
For centuries the magic had slumbered;   
though even at its lowest point the residual   
emanations from the ley lines was more then   
enough to keep the cursed pools active.  
A side effect of all this background magic   
was an environment that attracted two ancient   
beings of power to the area, an ancient Dragon and a Phoenixi.  
  
For the most part the area remained stable throughout  
the turbulent and often violent times that history is known for.  
Hundreds of animals and beings with latent psionic or magical  
talent were drawn to the valley by the siren call of the various   
springs only to drown or receive the curse Fate had decided for them..   
The Dragon sired offspring and eventually passed away into the   
antiquity of legend. The Phoenixi lived and died, only to be reborn  
generation after generation. Each time it revived it lost a piece of   
itself, weakening as the energy provided by the ley lines deteriorated.   
As the decades passed eventually only the valley itself retained   
any sizable amount of power at all.   
  
For over a thousand years Jusenkyo was silent.  
  
Then one day...  
  
...It woke up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Here sir. We come to famous legendary   
Training Ground of Cursed Springs, Jusenkyo."  
  
It started as the smallest ripple along the ley lines.   
  
"Are you ready Ranma?" Genma was an idiot. Nothing new there. (3)  
  
Harmonics on a level beyond human comprehension   
started to tremble in discord as a change entered   
the scene. Those both blessed and cursed by Destiny   
and Chaos also tended to affect the area around them,  
Jusenkyo was no exception.   
  
"I don't know...something feels weird here."  
  
Ranma couldn't put his finger on it but whatever he   
sensed was setting his hair on end, it was almost as   
bad as having a cccca...cca...ca...cacacacaca...feline around.  
  
For once he showed some uncommon sense by not immediately   
joining his father on top of one of the many bamboo poles   
sticking out of the springs.  
  
"Hurry up and follow me boy!"  
  
The subtle feeling of an increasing wrongness to surrounding   
area completely passed over Genma's less then stellar powers  
of observation. The occasional sparkle of unnatural blue light that  
started appearing at the very edges of his vision was easily ignored,   
he'd had many years of practice at denying the truth to himself and others.  
  
Ranma finally jumped to one of the poles as his father started   
making cracks about his "obvious lack of manhood" at being  
afraid of getting wet from some old springs. His ego took   
charge over prudence; nobody implied Ranma Saotome was   
less then a man among men and got away with it, especially   
not his idiot father. Still, he hesitated for a second before assuming   
a ready stance. Something was happening here, something big.  
  
At the every bottom of one of the pools a   
single point of azure light appeared.   
  
An eerie silence seemed to descend, as if the spirits   
of the valley were holding their breaths in anticipation   
of what was to come.  
  
The two opponents faced each other, one just reaching the   
beginning of his peak. The other already on the long slope  
down toward mediocrity. No quarter was asked for and none would be  
given.   
  
The tension of those crucial moments seemed to stretch into an eternity.  
  
Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as father and son prepared   
to beat each other to a black and blue pulp.  
  
The guide's warnings went unspoken, the living drama playing   
out before him holding his attention completely. In his time the guide   
had seen many martial artists come and go, but this he had to admit  
was something out of the ordinary.   
  
As if in agreement to a silent signal the two took to the air as one.  
They met at the arch of their jump, hands and feet blurring into individual   
strikes and parries that crossed the no man's land between them. For   
several seconds they seemed to hang there in midair, seemingly defying   
gravity as they tried to gain an advantage over the other. Disengaging   
they landed effortlessly on another set of poles.   
Only to take to the air once again.   
And again.  
And again.  
  
A missed block ended the stalemate. Genma's arm was a fraction  
of a second too slow coming up to stop his son's flying kick from   
connecting. Down he went to splash into the spring below.  
  
That event finally managed to snap the guide out of his passive observation..  
  
"Oh sir, very bad you fall in spring!"  
  
"Huh?" Ranma wondered what was taking Pop so long to come up.  
  
He hadn't hit him that hard had he?  
  
"Pop? We done already?"  
  
A dark shape broke the surface of the pool.  
  
"Wha? Wha? Wha?" Ranma started babbling in shock as he   
beheld the giant creature that had emerged from the pool.  
  
"Honored sir fall into Spring of Drowned Grizzly Bear!   
Very tragic story of Grizzly who drown in spring one   
thousand nine hundred and ninety nine years ago. Now   
who ever fall into spring take body of Grizzly Bear.  
Is very cursed spring."  
  
"You never said anything about this!!"  
  
Ranma picked the wrong moment to stop and talk.   
  
The Bear had not yet realized that something was wrong,   
seeing an opening in Ranma's defenses it attacked. Unfortunately  
its new paws packed quite a wallop, this new form was much stronger.  
Ranma went flying through the air past the spring of drowned girl,   
soaring over the spring of drowned cat, beyond the spring of the drowned   
demented tentacle demon fiend from another dimension, straight towards  
the only uncursed spring which coincidentally lay at the exact center of the valley.  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Okay...someone please explain to me HOW THE HECK   
DID A GRIZZLY BEAR GET TO CHINA??!!!"  
  
"Calm down. Stress leads to a Heart attack."  
  
"She's right."  
  
"Shut up Rowan! If I wanted that advice I'd have asked for it!"  
  
Needless to say, the Guardian was having a bad day and it showed.  
  
"Could've been worse, he could've fallen into that last spring."  
  
"He did fall into that spring Bard, remember that Imp's bet?" (4)  
  
*Shudder*   
  
"You had to remind me."  
  
"What'd you do with him anyway Shadow?"  
  
"Booted him out."  
  
"Before or after you beat the crap out of him?"  
~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma was falling...falling...he could see   
the crystal clear waters of his landing point.   
What horrible curse awaited him? Would he   
ever get a chance to express his thanks to   
his father for getting him into this mess?   
And why was the spring glowing blue all of a sudden?   
  
At the moment right before Ranma impacted   
into the water all hell broke loose.  
  
Power beyond anything seen in a millennium exploded   
into existence as the entire ley line network went from   
practically nonexistent to hyperactive with a vengeance.   
  
The sun vanished behind a storm of black clouds and ominous thunder.  
  
Jusenkyo seemed to explode as the released energies played havoc   
with reality. To Genma and the guide it was as if the world  
had gone mad. They were hearing colors and tasting sounds, side   
effects of the warping of local space-time.   
  
These were mere trifles compared to the main event.  
  
A Rift opened.  
  
It blazed into brief existence within the waters of the pool  
Ranma was falling towards. Within a distant corner of his mind   
he admired the impossible beauty of it, a swirling vortex of colors   
that went beyond anything replicable by human hands. The other 99%   
of him was panicking.  
  
There was absolutely no doubt in his mind.  
  
He was going to die.  
  
Ranma almost had time for one complete scream before he fell through.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It ended as quickly as it had started. One moment it was as   
if the Second Coming was taking place, the next instant   
everything was back to normal.   
  
No trace of the flaring blue lines of magical energy remained.  
The sun was shining and some birds that had apparently   
taken a wrong turn burst out into song. It was as if the   
entire nightmarish experience had been just that, a bad dream.  
Except for one thing...  
  
Ranma Saotome had completely vanished from the face of the Earth.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ur...ugghhh..."   
  
He hurt. He hurt all over.  
  
Explosions in the background drew a protest from  
his cracked lips. Hadn't he been tortured enough?  
He knew he wasn't dead, he was in too much pain  
at the moment to be dead.  
  
Opening one eye finally gave him some badly needed visual data.  
He was in the remains of what had once probably been a nice city.  
Right now it was an war zone. The shattered remains of once proud   
buildings surrounded him, strange burns and scorched scarring was everywhere.  
In the distance he could faintly seee telltale flashes of red and blue.   
Another explosion shook the area as a hovering blip over the dancing lights   
burst into a rich orange ball of flame and fury.  
  
"Where the hell am I?"  
  
Slowly he pulled himself to his feet, his back complained every inch of the way.  
  
As soon as he looked down he found out why.  
  
There was a corpse under him. From the looks of it he'd   
killed it when he crashed here. Judging from the size of the   
crater they were in it had been one heck of a drop. He was lucky  
to still be breathing, let alone moving.  
  
He peered down at his unlucky landing pad.  
  
It was an ugly bastard, all armor and claws with a face   
only its mother could love. The only thing that marred   
its fierceness was the almost comical look of surprise on   
its face and the way its head was twisted the wrong way,   
indicating a broken neck.  
  
"Damn...boy you're lucky to still be alive. Especially after wasting  
one of the Kreeghor elite like that."  
  
He turned in surprise, he must be hurt worse then   
he thought if he couldn't sense someone sneaking up on him!  
  
"What?"  
  
"Come on, we've gotta get out of here. Their Imperial Guard   
has been called in, if you get caught like that they'll execute you  
on the spot."  
  
The stranger grabbed what appeared to be some kind of   
fancy weapon from the corpse's belt before indicating a side   
alley for him to go to.  
  
"It was an accident!"  
  
"Heh, wish we all could have accidents like that. Lets go."  
  
He didn't have much of a choice, anything was better then just sitting here.  
  
"By the way, what's your name kid?"  
  
"Ranma....Ranma Saotome. And don't call me kid!!"  
  
"Well Ranma, I'm Dennis Skythe. Welcome to the Revolution."  
  
To be continued...  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) Zora Crystellia, 12th level CosmoKnight that I once played. She's beautiful,   
intelligent and has the best poker face west of the Kreeghor Empire.  
Her Cosmic Weapon is a personal howitzer that is given the laughable   
tag of a mere shotgun. The mere look of this weapon has cowed more then   
one potential troublemaker.  
  
(2) It's a secret!  
  
(3) Sold Ranma a couple dozen times, taught him the Nekoken.  
Hasn't learned a thing from either experience. Same old, same old.  
  
(4) Do you really wanna know?  
  



	4. Chapter 1b: Some things never change

Private Bet #10 ver. 1.00  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~   
1b: Some things never change   
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
3 Years later...  
  
"Good of you to come on such quick notice Commodore,  
I've been meaning to talk to you about that officer of yours."  
  
"You mean Commander Saotome?"  
  
"That's the one. Bit of a loose cannon so I've heard."  
  
"He gets the job done sir, that maverick streak of his has   
saved our bacon on more then one occasion."  
  
"I take it you're talking about that incident with that alien intelligence   
infiltration. Messy business that."  
  
"We'd never have found it without him, he's got to be the most damn  
lucky person I have ever met."  
  
"Luck is all well and good but it seems he's fighting with our   
troops almost as much as he does with the Kreeghor. There's also   
the matter of the complaints from our provision department.  
Saotome eats enough supplies to feed two whole divisions and  
that's just breakfast! I'd swear that he was a transformed dragon   
if the tests hadn't come back negative."  
  
"Well he does work hard, if I had a hundred like him we'd whip the Empire in no time."  
  
"If we had a hundred more like him we'd all starve to death."  
  
"...Sir, exactly what is the real problem?"  
  
"...*Sigh*...Sit down."  
  
"General?"  
  
"I won't argue that Saotome hasn't proven himself a fine and loyal officer,  
because he has. However his continued presence here is becoming   
detrimental to both morale and property values."  
  
"I'm aware of the commander's tendency to put his foot in his mouth,   
but isn't that going a bit far?"  
  
"Commodore, half of the troops love him, the other half would love to kill him."  
  
"So what are you suggesting I do about it? I wish I   
knew what it was that attracted women to Commander Ranma.   
Its unnatural how they just seem to fall for him, almost as   
mysterious as how the heck he manages to get on the bad   
side of every male soldier he meets within five seconds of   
running into them."  
  
"We've recently acquired a new experimental corvette from some   
friends on Phase World. The Free Worlds could use another privateer,   
don't you agree Commodore?"  
  
"Ah, I see. But what about the crew?"  
  
"Entirely female of course. It simply wouldn't do for   
the captain of the ship to be lynched by his own people."  
  
"Somehow I doubt Saotome will be grateful for that.   
I suspect a lynching would have been kinder."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma relaxed in his quarters, one of the few   
remaining places he could find any privacy anymore.   
  
He didn't understand women at all.  
  
Ranma doubted that he ever would.  
  
It had been bad enough back home when it was just human girls.   
Even though he hadn't had much contact with them he had still   
wondered about the looks they would give him more and more   
often as he'd gotten older.   
  
Here he had to deal with Dragons, Elves, Nymphs, and females   
from half a dozen other races that all wanted one thing...  
  
Ranma blushed bright red. Even after a crash course in reproduction  
six months ago he still got embarrassed thinking about IT.   
  
{Me and my big mouth. I should never have accepted   
that challenge. But I thought she was talking about Martial   
Arts, not Marital Arts!}  
  
On the bright side after a month of intense studying and training he   
had won the match. Of course that victory had brought him a whole  
new set of problems. Not the least of which had been the discovery   
that the match had been recorded and broadcast on a minor   
interstellar network.   
  
His women troubles had increased tenfold after that incident.  
  
Right now he was off duty, which was good since it   
would give the bruises he'd gotten from this morning's   
brawl some time to heal. Just why had that chef attacked him anyway?  
All Ranma had been doing was asking for his 3,273rd helping of breakfast.  
It wasn't his fault that the portions were so small.  
  
He sighed, life had been so much simpler when he was just a martial artist back home.   
No legions of amorous women after him, no bounties on his head and various   
other choice portions of his anatomy, no bizarre advanced technology,   
a place where giant interstellar battles between Rebellions and the Empires  
were just movies and psychotic tentacle aliens from another dimension just   
the product of quickly forgotten nightmares.  
  
Absently Ranma checked the date as he relaxed in his bed. This precious   
freedom from the "command bunnies" was worth its weight in credits. He  
fully intended to take advantage of it to the fullest.  
  
Had it really only been three years since he had arrived in this strange dimension?  
  
Even as his eyes closed Ranma's mind wandered back to   
those hectic weeks and months earlier.   
  
Ranma Saotome had found himself stranded on a strange and   
very hostile alien world in the middle of a very brutal and bloody war.  
The Rebellion forces were outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed on   
almost every military level. The Kreeghor Empire had been playing for keeps,  
even now Ranma could only wonder how he had survived through those   
first couple of months of sheer hell.  
  
A daring strike had cut off the ground forces from the fleet,   
stranding thousands of Rebel troops on the surface of the   
planet as the Kreeghor blockade bombarded the planet   
on an hourly basis.  
  
Left with no other alternative he'd hooked up with the   
remnants of the Rebel army. It had been weeks of   
running and guerrilla combat along with endless lessons   
that crammed the basics of survival in this universe into his thick head.  
  
He hadn't wanted to learn at first. Always the confident   
martial artist, contemptuous of the "crutches" of advanced   
weaponry. Getting most of his shoulder vaporized by an enemy   
plasma bolt made him change his mind very fast.   
  
Ranma flexed his right hand again, the reassuring feel telling   
him that his arm was still there. Thank the Gods that Livia had   
been nearby and that she'd known the spell of Restoration.  
  
After that nearly fatal battle he'd lost a lot of his cockiness and soaked up   
everything he was taught eagerly, there's nothing quite like confronting your   
own mortality to get you motivated. Ranma had quickly become the   
proud inventor of Anything Goes Speed Reading, Anything Goes   
Computer Hacking, Anything Goes Power Armor Combat and   
dozens of other new side branches to the Anything Goes School   
of Martial Arts. Nor did Ranma ignore his original training either,   
his style of martial arts was unknown in this universe and it gave him a   
crucial advantage over most of his opponents who tended to underestimate a  
"mere human".  
  
By the time the Rebel fleet broke the blockade Ranma had already   
reached the rank of master sergeant via battlefield promotions.   
And he'd earned each and every one of them.  
  
After escaping from the planet (who's name he had learned later was Ristmoth)   
Ranma had intended to just leave and look for a way back home. As luck would  
have it things didn't turn out that way. Instead Ranma found himself in the middle   
of a conspiracy to assassinate the leader of the Free Worlds. Along the way he had   
also literally stumbled across an undercover Kreeghor agent, one that turned to be   
part of an unknown alien intelligence. For his role in thwarting the assassins they had   
promoted him to officer status and he'd known at that moment that for better   
or worse he was stuck here.  
  
There were worse fates he figured.  
  
His last promotion had been only four months ago to his current rank of commander.  
He had been ashamed to receive it, in his opinion he didn't deserve it.   
It had been a fluke and an embarrassing one at that.   
  
Ranma and a small group of fellow Rebellion officers had been betrayed and   
captured at Phaseworld by the Imperial Fleet. They were taken onboard   
the Dreadnought that served as the Flagship to serve as "examples" to worlds that   
resisted the might of the Empire. Somehow a cat had got on board the ship during   
docking and when their captors had discovered that Ranma was scared to death   
of it they decided to have a little fun before they killed him.  
  
The last coherent image he could remember had been the  
tawny fur ball clutching to his face in feline aggravation.   
  
When he woke up later he was being congratulated for singlehandly   
capturing the Dreadnought virtually intact, a major coup for the Rebellion.  
  
It wasn't until he reviewed the records that Ranma learned of what he  
had done. The cat triggered the Neko-ken, Neko-Ranma found himself   
in an enclosed space full of many enemies and few friends.   
  
The feral beast cut loose. By the time the alarms sounded every Imperial troop   
within 100 feet had been shredded into unrecognizable kitty litter.   
The Kreeghor found out the hard way that Neko-Ranma could SWIPE   
their blasts aside with absolutely no difficulty.  
  
A surprise attack by local Rebellion forces increased the confusion,   
by the time the Kreeghor finally figured out what had happened their   
forces were crippled and every one of their personnel on the Dreadnought   
was dead.  
  
Things had rather quiet since then. Besides the normal battles going   
on in contested territory there was no new fighting between the Rebellion   
and the Kreeghor. It was almost...boring.  
  
Well, besides the legion of WARS (Women After Ranma Saotome).  
  
Sleep descended on the weary officer.  
  
But this time his dreams were different.   
  
[Greetings Ranma Saotome]  
  
{Who are you?}  
  
[Transcendence, Connection, Life, Light, Hope.]  
  
{Which one?}  
  
[All and none...I am the Cosmic Forge.]  
  
{What do you want with me?}  
  
[I will show you.]  
  
And so a hero was born...  



	5. Chapter 1c: Save the World, See the Gala...

Private Bet #10 ver. 1.00  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
1c: Save the World, See the Galaxy, Sign Up Today!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A destiny of glory.  
A fate worse then death.   
Hero.   
Villain.   
Savior.   
Destroyer.  
  
[Choose.]  
  
{Why me?}  
  
[You are the one.]  
  
{I don't understand!}  
  
[That is why you are the one.]  
  
{Are these images real? Will they happen?}  
  
[Perhaps. The future is never set, always can it change.   
In your hands lies the way. All things are possible,  
never forget that.]  
  
{I...I see.}  
  
[The Universe will always need protectors. Will you become one of mine?]  
  
{I don't know...This is so overwhelming. Why didn't you pick   
someone more suited to this then me?}  
  
[Why would someone else be a better choice?]  
  
{I mean look at me, I'm a loudmouthed jerk! I keep getting into   
trouble and I'm lost in a strange dimension. I'd probably mess up as a   
CosmoKnight the very first day!}  
  
[So?]  
  
{Huh? Don't you get it?}  
  
[It is your choice. It has always been your choice.   
If you fear the consequences then so be it. To accept is   
to take the greatest challenge you will ever face, in return   
all I can promise is a chance to defend the good and the innocent.  
The rest is up to you.]  
  
He thought about it carefully, this decision would probably be the   
most important one he ever made. Was it really worth it?  
  
Then he thought of all he had seen since he had got here. The cruelty,   
the suffering and the oppression of countless beings to the forces of evil.  
Here was his chance to make a difference.  
  
For once he had been given a chance to decide   
without interference or coercion.  
  
{...okay, you've convinced me. How do I sign up?}  
  
[You already have.]  
  
Ranma could have sworn that the voice smiled.  
  
{Wha...?}  
  
Then everything went light.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma awoke with a startled gasp.   
That dream had been so real...  
  
Then he looked down.  
  
No doubt about it. Things were going to be a lot more interesting from now on.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
-Five Years Later  
  
Ranma looked at the canopy of stars that stretched as far as the eye   
could see from the port in his room. He had changed so very much   
that he doubted even his own father would recognize him anymore.  
  
He'd grown, not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.   
The Neko-ken was a thing of the past, along with most of his immaturity   
and boorish attitude. After getting it pounded into his head day after day  
he was able to finally admit, (grudgingly mind you) that women did indeed   
have a place in combat and that fighting was not only a "guy" thing. (1)  
  
The Cosmic Forge had for all intents and purposes wiped  
Ranma's karmic slate clean, giving him the chance for a fresh start.   
This time without the mistakes of his previous life haunting him.  
  
Ranma had never been one to waste second chances.  
  
He smiled sadly as he took a drink of some distilled Narmah nectar,   
the tangy orange syrup was one of the few indulgences he still took for himself.  
While he no longer required nourishment in the relative sense,   
appearances needed to be kept up and he still did enjoy the taste   
of good food.  
  
{I've seen and done things that I'd never have imagined   
in my wildest dreams or my worse nightmares. It's amazing   
how quickly you get used to the unusual to the point where   
it seems odd when nothing out of the ordinary happens.   
But now this, just when I thought the Universe had run   
out of ways to surprise me it goes and flips upside down   
on me anyway. Funny, I've never been afraid of going anywhere,  
be it Rifts Earth, Phase World, Wormwood or any of the   
hundred or so worlds that I've been to. But now the thought   
of going home, the one I left behind all those years ago scares me   
more then when I confronted the Four Horsemen.}  
  
Home. It was almost an alien concept to him now. For as long   
as Ranma could remember he'd been living on the road. Even  
before he'd arrived in this strange dimension he'd never stayed   
for more then a couple of months in any one spot, his father had   
always been on the move to stay one step ahead of all the people   
he'd swindled or stolen from. The closest thing to a home that he  
had now was his ship.  
  
His ship.  
  
Ranma never got tired of thinking about her that way.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Free World Starship 119 Untamed Stallion, a Shadowstar class   
corvette that had been "liberated" from an unnamed source.   
Originally intended for hit and fade operations and fire support roles  
she'd been designed to move fast and hit hard. After Alliance   
technicians got done with her, she also had a hide thick enough to   
back up her bite and live to tell about it.   
  
And when Ranma and Silvia had finished with their modifications...  
  
All the proof needed of how effective she was at what she did   
was shown at the skirmish off Antares IV. The Untamed Stallion  
took on two Kreeghor Berserkers attacking a Free World   
convoy and won. The ship was in dry dock for repairs for over   
a month afterwards but still, it had won.  
  
The ship itself sported a formidable (and in most cases highly illegal) array of   
energy and solid projectile batteries along with several missile and   
torpedo launchers. A pinpoint defense system had been crammed   
in along with a revolutionary binary force field. The FTL system was   
faster then most standard military and commercial drives, easily allowing   
the ship to catch its intended target or run from larger opponents. Its cutting edge   
sensor stealth system along with the latest in electronic countermeasures gave  
the ship its nickname "Ghost Horse". Last but definitely not least was   
the launch bay. Holding four fighters and over a dozen power armors, this   
was where the true strength of the Untamed Stallion lay. The versatility   
provided by this small but well armed force had proven to be extremely   
effective in the various missions carried out by the unconventional ship   
and her unconventional crew. (2)  
  
Over the past two years several other useful upgrades had been made.  
Four phase cannons taken from pirates supported by the Kreeghor on   
Epsilon II now supplemented the ship's already formidable defenses,   
a true cloaking system from the planet sized ship of Glarg the Devourer  
of Mid sized Planetoids (Although they still hadn't gotten all the bugs out of it yet)  
and several others ranging from "sorta semi-legal" to "so blatantly illegal   
that you'd better make sure that your ship is never ever boarded by customs"  
had been installed as well.  
  
But the crowning achievement had been the Universal Code breaker,   
a piece of equipment no bigger then a toaster that could crack the most   
advanced Confed, Kreeghor, or Federation encryption. That one   
little gadget was worth almost as much as the entire ship; Ranma had   
wisely chosen not to ask where his chief engineer had gotten it.  
The result could have been horrible, she might have told him.  
  
The FWS Untamed Stallion had been the terror of the Kreeghor  
shipping lanes, with over two hundred successful raids credited   
to it and over a thousand confirmed kills, one hundred and fifty   
of them capital ships. The daring exploits of Captain Saotome   
and his heroic women had spread far and wide to every bar and dive  
a ship could reach. There was a remote planet of jelly-like aliens that   
didn't even know what a human was and even they had heard about   
Ranma and his legendary luck, both in battle and with the opposite sex.  
  
If the taletellers had bothered to ask Ranma about it he'd say   
that they had it backwards. It wasn't luck, it was a curse!  
Of course along with the truth came hundreds of false or exaggerated  
rumors and stories of the women the Captain had seduced, what   
Saotome and his crew really did when they were off duty, and the history   
of the mysterious man named Ranma.  
  
Popular opinion was that he was a transformed Dragon or a True Atlantian   
or some other kind of supernatural being in disguise. Others said he was a   
godling that had been imprisoned by the Kreeghor before being freed by   
the Alliance. Some speculated that Ranma was a member of a previously   
unknown humanoid race that had only recently been discovered by the Alliance.  
  
None of them believed that Ranma was just a human.   
  
A human reborn in Cosmic Fire to become a champion of   
Justice and the Light.  
  
A human with a billion credit reward for his death, courtesy of the Empire.  
  
A human with a trillion credit reward for his capture, courtesy of a   
planet of beautiful amorous females that wanted to make Ranma their next   
Adam and wouldn't take no for an answer.  
  
A human that had forever altered the face of the Multiverse and   
saved it from destruction more then once.  
  
But Destiny wasn't through with Ranma Saotome, not by a long shot.(3)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Eight years ago he would have been ecstatic  
to find that he was going home. Now all he felt   
was a bittersweet sense of nostalgia for his planet of origin.   
  
The vision that had come to him last night had been crystal clear though.  
  
It was time to go back.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The worst part was he would have to leave his ship, and more  
importantly his crew behind. He'd miss them all, in a way   
they'd become like a surrogate family to him.   
  
Ayla and her steady shoulder that he could always count on.  
Perky Tania with her cheerful smile no matter what the current crisis was.  
The challenging chess games with Silvia, as well as the heated   
and often quite loud arguments the two had had over the   
tinkering she wanted to do to the ship.  
  
A hundred memories swept over him, good and bad, of the times   
he and the crew had had together on and off of the ship.   
  
This wasn't the first time he'd left the them behind, but   
this would be the first time he wasn't coming back.  
They were not going to take this well. If he was lucky   
the girls would settle for just maiming him when he told   
them he was leaving.  
  
With a silent plea he looked up to the ceiling.  
  
{It's not my fault! I didn't ask them to all fall in love with me!!!} (4)  
  
For a moment he thought he heard a quiet chuckle in response, then   
dismissed it as his imagination panicking at the thought of the future   
pain that his loyal crew was going to inflict on him in...  
  
Ranma checked his chrono-unit.  
  
...less then fifteen minutes.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
-Fifteen Minutes Later  
  
A brief moment of stunned silence followed the Captain's announcement.  
  
Alas, it wasn't going to last.  
  
"WHAT??!!?!?!?!!!"  
  
If anyone had been watching the Untamed Stallion from the   
outside they would have been treated to the once in a lifetime   
sight of a starship doing better then lightspeed suddenly jumping  
like a cat with a firecracker up its...tail.  
  
{Well, they're taking this better then I thought they would.}  
  
Somehow that thought wasn't very comforting to Ranma.   
Perhaps it had to due with the blue glow that was now being   
emanated by the bridge personnel, an event he suspected was being   
repeated all over the ship as the crew got over their shock and went  
from stunned to "Someone is going to be in a whole world of hurt   
once we find out who's responsible for this".   
  
{Better think of something fast Saotome.}  
  
"Uh...that's all I've got to say. It's been an honor serving   
as your commanding officer, I'll miss you all."   
  
{Doh! That didn't come out right.}  
  
"RANMA!!!"   
  
That would be Lily, the security officer looked   
like a feral hunter ready to rip her unlucky prey limb from limb   
and she wasn't even in her feline form yet. Damn, this wasn't   
going to be pretty. She was strong enough to literally hurl him   
across the bridge and while it wouldn't hurt much it would be   
rather...awkward.   
  
Of course he might be better off that way.  
  
{Oh Gods. Please, not the "adorable hurt puppy eyes  
with shining tears in them" routine!! Anything but that!!!}  
  
*Sniffle*  
  
Ranma decided that the Universe must hate him.  
  
"Y..you're le...leaving us?"   
  
Tania looked like she'd burst into a flood of tears any second.  
  
"Captain?"   
  
Ayla sounded shaken, this was the first time he   
had ever heard her speak with anything but   
absolute confidence.  
  
The rest of the bridge crew was looking at him too.   
What was he supposed to do now?!  
  
Time for the tried and true   
Saotome Anything Goes Final Attack.  
  
"I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me.   
Commander, you have the bridge."  
  
Captain Saotome fled before anyone could reply.  
  
(to be continued...)  
  
*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) This took a bit longer then you'd think,  
despite all the changes he's undergone he's still Ranma.  
  
(2) Trust me, you have not seen the last of them.  
  
(3) Foreshadowing is so much fun and I'm just getting started.  
  
(4) Yes, this will come back to haunt him.  
  
The Mentioned Crew of the FWS Untamed Stallion  
  
Commander Ayla: Chiang Ku Dragon, one of the few remaining   
in this Dimension. Desperately in love with the Captain but keeps   
her feelings pretty well hidden. Very, very competent as well as   
an accomplished tactician. This is NOT someone you want   
as an enemy. Normally assumes the form of a stern but devastatingly   
attractive red haired green eyed woman in her mid twenties.  
  
Communications Officer Tania Sha'isti'a: She's blonde, blue eyed,   
and got pointed ears. She's an Elf; handy with sword and bow but   
hopeless with any weapon more advanced then that.   
Took to radio and laser link communication like a fish to water.   
Radiates cheerful cuteness on a level equal to high grade plutonium.  
Like the rest of the crew she's got a crush on Saotome.  
  
Chief Engineer Silvia: A Phantom, member of a race of intelligent life   
composed of pure energy although they can take a material form if they   
choose to. They're known as the TV otakus of the universe, primarily   
because they've watched so many old shows that they have a tendency to   
mimic or imitate their favorite characters. Silvia is one of the more level   
headed ones, although she has a weakness for a syndicated sci-fi show   
that was very popular a couple millennium ago. One of the results of this   
is a fascination with all advanced technology, especially engineering. The   
other is her insistence on speaking with a pronounced Scottish accent   
since "all great engineers are Scots". Constantly making improvements   
to the ship, however her improvements often have a habit of failing at   
the worst possible moment. On the other hand she's also able to jury-rig   
repairs on the spot with little more then spit and thread, a talent which   
has often saved the Untamed Stallion when its chestnuts were roasting   
in the fire. Nobody knows why she looks exactly like a green haired   
version of Ifurita.  
  
Sergeant Lily: During a mission on Rifts Earth Ranma rescued a girl   
under attack by a Coalition extermination squad. Turned out that the   
girl was actually a were-panther, having nowhere else to go she   
tagged along with him. Eventually wound up going back with him   
to the Free Worlds where she joined up. Shortly thereafter she was   
assigned to the Untamed Stallion at her request. Originally from   
South America, her human form is much like her panther form,   
sleek and deadly curves with a temper to match.  



	6. Chapter 1d: With Friends Like These, Who...

Private Bet #10 ver. 1.00  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
1d: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?!  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
From their places on the Plane of Neutrality several interested parties   
watched Ranma in the Pool of Destiny. Currently it was now at one of   
those all too rare quiet moments, the calm before the storm so to speak.  
  
"I never thought I'd say this but I feel sorry for him."   
  
Shadow shook his head in disbelief at the sheer amount of havoc that one   
little change had caused. And he'd thought *his* life had been messed up.   
  
This world's Ranma had problems that would kill most men, figuratively and literally.  
The Splugorth never were good losers; toss in the Vampire Intelligences,  
half the Dark Pantheons, the Kreeghor Empire, Naruni Enterprises,   
the Coalition States, the Gargoyle Empire and assorted villains and monsters   
that would all love to see Saotome as a corpse and you had a recipe   
for Trouble a'la Ranma. How any one person could manage to offend ALL   
of them and still stay in one piece for so long was a mystery beyond   
even Shadow's comprehension.   
  
"Um....can someone refresh my memory? I'm not that familiar with this   
class of Knight."  
  
The Bard was rather envious at this point.   
Why couldn't HE have this kind of luck with girls?!!  
  
The Guardian had finally gotten over his shock, and even felt a   
grudging admiration toward Zora for having the sheer audacity  
to pull something like this. He produced a podium and chart from   
"Gratuitous Plot Device Space" and went into his droning professor   
lecture mode  
  
The others all groaned painfully.  
  
"Ranma has been changed by the Cosmic Forge, an ancient   
sentient artifact of immense power, into one of the most powerful   
classes of heroes in the Multiverse."  
  
A life-sized three dimensional hologram of Ranma projected from   
the chart behind him. It was perfect in very detail down to the   
number of hairs in Ranma's pigtail.   
  
"Part of this transformation process literally recreates the   
chosen Knight's body into one at the peak of their full potential.  
They become faster, healthier, much tougher, and a lot stronger.   
In Ranma's specific case it also appears to have compensated for   
the ten years of malnutrition that he suffered under Genma's care."  
  
The Guardian produced a laser pointer that he used to highlight the changes to   
Ranma's physique. The female portion of the audience suddenly started to pay  
close attention to the territory the red light roamed over.   
  
"Note for instance, a growth in height of approximately eight   
inches as well as a 35% increase in general muscular development."  
  
Wolf whistles came from some of the Valkyries as well as from some   
of the more uninhibited nymphs.  
  
"Ranma's features also have undergone a change that gives him   
a more refined and mature look that seems to be partly responsible   
for his problems with over enthusiastic women."  
  
Chuckles and snickers from the males were greeted with dirty   
looks from the assorted females.   
The men wisely shut up.  
  
"As a higher order of being he doesn't need food and   
can function quite effectively even in the vacuum of space.   
Also as a CosmoKnight, Ranma is essentially immortal.   
He won't ever age past the point where he was transformed.   
Unless something kills him, he just won't die."  
  
"Oh that makes plenty of sense."  
  
Sarcasm was Shadow's forte and he used it with the same   
precision that made him the deadly sword master he was.  
  
"Let's not forget his combat abilities."   
  
Rowan reminded him, this unusual break from his normal   
quiet mode raising more then a few eyebrows..  
  
"You're the tactician Shadow."  
  
"Fine."  
  
The chart was replaced by a giant movie screen, the dark warrior   
always was one for the dramatic.  
  
A new picture of Ranma appeared, this time from one of the   
many battles he had fought in the world of Rifts.  
  
"To make a long story short CosmoKnights are able to   
shrug off most conventional weaponry, nothing short of   
a duranium hyper-velocity rail-gun slug will cause more then   
superficial damage to them. Energy Weapons are even worse,   
Ranma's resistance to them is so great that it would take at least a   
CCW Cruiser Mark XXX Heavy Particle Beam Cannon  
to give him more then a minor burn. As for Plasma or Nuclear weapons,  
forget it. He can laugh them off, theoretically a CosmoKnight can survive   
even in the raging inferno that lies within the heart of a star."  
  
"Holy shit."  
  
"Exactly, and that's not even the tip of the iceberg. Ranma's   
now got a set of Cosmic Armor that is as tough as he is and that he   
can summon at any time."  
  
"Geeze, can ANYTHING hurt him anymore?!?!?"  
  
"I didn't say that he doesn't have any weaknesses,   
notice I said 'conventional' weapons."  
  
"You mean...?"  
  
"Magic, Psionics, Ki and all sorts of UNconventional   
attacks work just fine on him. Also most supernatural   
monsters are quite capable of hurting him as well   
although he can hurt them back too."  
  
"Interesting choice of armor, I was expecting something a   
little more medieval from him."  
  
"Appearances can be deceiving Rowan."  
  
"True."  
  
"What the heck is that??!!"  
  
The Bard pointed to a scene where Ranma was   
fighting one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.   
A giant beam of sparkling energy that made the Perfect Shi-Shi-Hokodan   
look like one of Dan Hibiki's fireballs blasted forth from   
Ranma's outstretched hands to utterly engulf the demon of Pestilence.  
When the glare from the blast and resulting explosion died away all   
that was left of it was a small mound of burning dead bugs and scorched   
ashes inside of a twenty foot crater. Ranma casually blew two small wisps   
of smoke from his forefingers before the image dissolved and reformed   
back to the present.  
  
"That....was impressive."  
  
"Oh, that would just be his Cosmic Energy Blasts."  
  
"JUST his WHAT Blasts??!!"  
  
"Ranma's now a living battery of Cosmic Energy,   
he can fire blasts of it from his hands at will."  
  
"Exactly how strong are these blasts of his?"  
  
"They're about as powerful as a midsize tactical nuke in the   
10-15 megaton range. Maybe a little bit more now that he's   
gotten more experienced at using them. If he's in space Ranma   
can temporarily pump them up to the level of anti-matter   
cruise missiles. Course that would also drain most of his   
energy reserves but he can still do it. Keep in mind now that there   
is a difference in terms of the area affected. Ranma's   
attack can be considered more powerful because the beams   
travel straight and affect a much smaller target area with all of   
that damage and even though the blasts are very powerful   
Ranma also has pinpoint accuracy when firing them."  
  
"Are you putting me ON??!!!"  
  
"Do I look like I'm joking here?"  
  
"Bu..bu...bu....but...THAT'S INSANE!!!"  
  
"I guess the Cosmic Weapon can wait."  
  
The Bard's eyebrows started twitching violently.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
-Back to Someplace Relatively Normal  
  
Nodoka Saotome smiled at the young and very   
beautiful teenage girl. Such fire, such spirit, such skill   
with a Soul Sword. This would be an excellent mate for Ranma,  
Yohko was a bride fit for a man among men.  
  
After all it was a mother's duty to make sure that only the best   
became her son's fiancee.  
  
"So do we have a deal?"   
  
Yohko's mother held out her hand.  
  
"Deal."   
  
They shook hands. One shared thought filled both their minds.  
  
{Grandchildren!}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Genma spent all of five minutes searching for his son. His thoughts ran   
along the lines of what his eventual fate would be if he couldn't find Ranma.   
  
{Boygonegonnadieboygonegonnadieboygonegonnadieboygonegonnadie!!!}  
  
Genma being Genma finally came up with a way to save   
his furry hide for at least another day.  
  
{I'll just hide at the Tendo's! Once I explain everything to Soun   
he won't mind.}   
  
He had a plan. Poor ungrateful Ranma, the boy just had to go   
and drown to spoil all of his father's plans for a  
long and luxurious retirement.  
  
Oh well, time to go find something to eat.  
  
Genma the Grizzly shambled off in the   
direction of the Chinese Amazon village.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
About half an hour after Genma left another figure   
entered the cursed training ground of Jusenkyo.  
  
"Where on Earth am I now??!!!" Ryoga screamed   
up to the uncaring heavens.  
  
In hindsight it really wasn't such a smart idea for him to hold up  
his umbrella dramatically to the looming black thunderstorm approaching   
and yell, "Damn you Ranma Saotome!!! This is all your fault!!"  
  
Lightning crashed down.  
  
Unfortunately for Ryoga this was the   
Trademarked Secret Technique of the Kuno clan.   
  
Divine Copyright Protection Enforcement kicked in.  
  
Ryoga learned that depleted uranium umbrellas make   
great lightning rods.  
  
*ZOT*  
  
"Aiiiieeee!!!!"  
  
A blackened Ryoga desperately leapt into the nearest   
spring to put out the fire in his hair.  
  
Again, in hindsight this wasn't one of his brighter ideas.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mmmm."  
  
Ranma moaned softly around the tongue dancing in his mouth.  
  
The bane of the lost boy's existence was busy at the moment.  
  
One by one the individual crew members had snuck into his room to   
each give him a "personal farewell". Right now Commander Ayla had   
him backed up against his cabin wall as she gave him a lip lock that   
would have suffocated Ranma if he had still needed to breathe.  
  
It wasn't that he was a lecher or a cad. Ranma just could not deny a girl   
when she wanted something from him, one of the leftover remnants of his   
training under Genma.  
  
It would be a week until he left.   
Good thing he didn't need sleep anymore.  
  
A familiar softness pressed against his chest to remind  
him that there were other, more pleasant things to   
think about now.  
  
{Nope, definitely not going to get any sleep on this trip.}  
  
To be continued...  



	7. Chapter 2a: Warped Reflections and a Kin...

Private Bet #10 Chapter II: Home is Where the Headaches Are.  
by Shade  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and affiliates are the  
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Rifts and  
Phase World are owned by Palladium. Other  
references belong to their respective owners.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
part 2a: Warped Reflections and a Kink in the Introspection  
~~~~~~~~  
  
A nagging feeling was bothering Rowan. It was telling him that  
something had happened earlier that had the potential for a lot  
of trouble.  
  
He pulled out a VCR remote and hit the rewind button.(1)  
  
His hunch was confirmed.  
  
"This...is Bad."  
  
Shadow and the Guardian exchanged looks, this was coming from  
someone who thought having every molecule in your body explode  
at the speed of light would be an interesting experience.  
  
Time to start worrying.  
  
Rowan hit the rewind button again.  
  
A frown appeared as he watched  
the event play out again on the  
crystal clear water.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
-Rifts Earth, Egypt-  
-One Year After Ranma's Transformation  
  
Ranma silently berated himself, he could now swear fluently  
in over twenty six different languages and right now he felt  
that he deserved each and every last one of them.  
  
He should never have let Katrina go scout ahead without him.  
Once he'd heard blaster fire he'd come running but was too late,  
her abductors had already carried her off. Probably the same  
people who had infected her with that weird bio-weapon his  
med-scanner had picked up in her bloodstream.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma had run into the amnesiac Ley Line Walker earlier during the  
Gathering of Heroes, the two of them had been assigned to the  
same task force shortly thereafter. Their group was going after  
the demonic entity Pestilence, hoping to stop it before it  
could join War, Famine, and Death. If they failed, all life on this  
planet would die when the demons remerged with each other into  
the Armageddon Beast.  
  
So far they had been successfully trailing the monster,  
following its path of desolation and death.  
Every plant within five miles had been devoured down  
to the roots by voracious insects. Disease and starvation  
killed those unfortunate souls who were not immediately  
consumed by the ravenous billions of locusts, flies, ants,  
and termites that served the Demon..  
  
None of those who had seen the atrocities commited had reacted  
more strongly the Ranma and Katrina Sun. Both swore to avenge  
the fallen people, human and D-Bee(2) alike. From their shared  
sense of justice the beginnings of a deep mututal respect were formed.  
In Katrina Ranma had found the big sister he'd never had, her distress  
over her lack of memory also brought out his protective side.  
  
Katrina on the other hand initially considered Ranma a brash  
and foolhardy boy, her assessment quickly  
changed after seeing him in combat for the first time.  
  
After seeing Ranma take out a entire squad of Phoenix Empire  
power armors by himself, she found herself forced to consider  
that she might be wrong.  
  
A warm shoulder to cry on during the nights that her  
gap-ridden memory tormented her completed her change in her attitude toward  
him. Despite his tendancy to somehow always know the wrong thing to say,  
Katrina found herself warming up to the kind and sincere heart behind  
Ranma's rough edges. Her attempts to teach him some manners had won  
laughs from both of them as well as their comrades. No matter how  
hard Ranma tried he could never last more then an hour at most before  
sticking his foot in his mouth.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
He'd lost many friends before.  
  
{Not this time! I'm not losing another one.  
Either I bring her back to the camp safe and sound.......}  
  
Ranma's eys narrowed in determination.  
  
{....Or I'll die trying!!}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Sneaking into the pyramid had been the hard part.  
Tracking the kidnappers had been relatively easy, it helped when  
you could move faster then any vehicle on the planet.  
  
The outer perimeter was bristling with alarms and sentries,  
both magical and technological in nature. He'd been forced  
to crawl through the sand to avoid the nearly invisible beams he  
knew were scanning for any sign of moment. An unlucky fox  
had shown that the beams also served a more sinister purpose.  
  
The desiccated husk of what had once been living flesh rattled  
eerily as the harsh desert wind swept through it. It sounded like  
the wail of a soul being devoured alive.  
  
Ranma was once again grateful that he was no longer  
just a normal human, otherwise he'd never have been  
able to pull it off.  
  
Once he'd gone down far enough Ranma had just kept going  
straight until he hit the foundation of the pyramid. A carefully  
aimed Cosmic Blast later and he was inside.  
  
The place reeked of evil.  
  
Ranma gagged silently, it was as if the very stones  
were oozing corruption. When this was over he was going  
to take a long bath and do his best to scrub away this place's  
vileness from his skin. Ranma hoped he could find Kat soon,  
he didn't want to stay in this foul darkness a moment longer  
then he had to.  
  
Quickly he inspected the tomblike interior,  
it seemed deserted and was oddly quiet.  
  
Too quiet.  
  
{Where are the defenses?}  
  
A hiss of escaping air reached his ears.  
  
Ranma instinctively leapt up, trusting his  
finely honed danger sense.  
  
{Damn, I should know better then to ask something like that!}  
  
From his clutchhold on the ceiling Ranma looked down.  
  
{Armor piercing darts. Ouch. Probably poisoned too. Not  
something I want to experience first hand.}  
  
Cautiously Ranma descended back to the floor, being sure  
to avoid the area the darts had sprung from. No telling where  
the trigger was, best to just leave it alone and hope nobody  
would notice until later.  
  
No other traps greeted him but Ranma still kept a careful eye out  
for any more unpleasant surprises as he snuck down the corrider.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Something was wrong here.  
  
He was being played for a sucker.  
  
Ranma hated that. He really, really  
disliked being led around by the nose.  
  
It was simply too easy...  
He should have run into someone else by now!  
This pyramid wasn't *that* big.  
  
Even with a fully charged HI-80 laser rifle in hand  
Saotome felt uneasy.  
  
It was as if an unseen malevolent presence was watching his  
every move and laughing at him.  
  
A moment later he entered the main room in the heart of the pyramid.  
  
The darkness was suddenly obliterated by the flash  
of light that lit the room. Ranma froze, his eyes adjusting to  
the sudden brightness.  
  
The sound of a pair of hands clapping broke the dramatic silence.  
  
"Well done, your antics to enter my base were very amusing."  
  
Across the room from Ranma stood two dozen humanoids in  
worn NGR body armor surrounding a pale bleeding Katrina. She  
had not gone down without a fight. The various cuts and laser burns  
looked extremely painful. Despite her injuries a pained smile  
crossed her face at the sight of Ranma.  
  
"You idiot. Now we're both in trouble."  
  
Ranma shrugged.  
  
"I'm always in trouble. One more time won't hurt."  
  
Although the guards were now leveling a variety of assorted  
black market weapons at him Ranma was more concerned  
about the Thing that seemed to be in charge of them.  
  
He radiated an aura of black power, many times stronger  
then anything Ranma had ever faced before. The being was  
similar to a man, except it was about four feet taller and had  
a jackel's head. His presence practically screamed Evil  
Incarnate. Ranma hated him on sight.  
  
{Might as well try the direct approach}  
  
"Release her, now." Ranma leveled his rifle at the Boss Villain.  
  
A number of red targeting lasers instantly appeared on Ranma's forehead.  
  
Ranma wasn't worried much, they were using lasers, particle beams  
and a few ion rifles. No sweat, even the plasma mini-missile launcher  
wasn't anything to get worked up over. Unfortunately Katrina wasn't  
as durable as he was, as long as she was hostage he didn't dare risk  
a firefight. there was too much of a chance of a stray shot hitting her.  
Right now she looked like the next hit she took would be her last.  
  
"You have the nerve to challenge the almighty Set on his own ground?!  
I must admit that you have courage warrior, though you lack wits. Only  
fools and the mad would dare to point a weapon at me when the merest  
word to my servants would see you blown to pieces."  
  
"Not before I put a nice pot hole in that   
overinflated poodle head of yours, Jerk."  
  
Set inhaled sharply, nearly giving the order to fire in a sudden rush of  
anger that filled him at this human's words. The evil God calmed quickly  
though, there was a power within this boy, a power that would soon be his  
to control with the proper...inducement. A proper vengence for those   
insults could wait...for now.  
  
He gestured to his guards, at his command the troops all aimed their  
weapons at Katrina.  
  
{Shit!}  
  
He was good but he wasn't that good. He'd get eight, maybe  
ten of them if he was lucky. That still left over a dozen guns  
aimed at Kat, all it would take was one shot. A Cosmic Blast  
would clear them all out but he couldn't use one without hitting  
Katrina  
  
Bluff raised and called.  
  
Reluctantly Ranma lowered the muzzle of his weapon.  
  
Set smiled, he so enjoyed tormenting these so-called heroes.  
They were so pathetic with their concern for others, a fatal  
weakness that he could so easily exploit. The Light's compassion  
would always be its undoing to the forces of Darkness.  
  
"Violence will avail you nothing here, although a mutual  
agreement might...persuade me to spare your friend's life."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
He was still a little innocent but even Ranma wasn't that naive.  
He also knew that Set was lying through his teeth  
and would doublecross him as soon as the God  
got what he wanted. But Ranma didn't have any other alternatives.  
  
The Villain pointed to an area by Ranma's right side where  
a previously unnoticed stone table sat. Upon its scarred features  
rested a innocent looking vial of sparkly golden liquid.  
  
"I promise you that it's not poisonous.  
All you have to do is drink it and she's all yours."  
  
Set smiled, what he didn't mention was that the potion  
was supposed to change the imbiber into the exact  
opposite of what they were as well as making the person  
a utterly loyal slave to him. How thoughtful of Thoth to  
create such a valuable prize for him to steal.  
  
Ranma's gaze hardened. He smelled a rat here.  
  
"How do I know you'll keep your word?"  
  
"I am a God, there is no greater guarantee than my word."  
  
{Yeah right!}  
  
Ranma picked up the bottle and swirled it around a little,  
he couldn't identify any of the liquid's ingredients. It was  
almost syrupy in texture, but oddly enough there was no  
sediment at the bottom of the vial. Not a good sign, this was  
no natural fluid.  
  
He popped the cover and sniffed it.  
  
There was minty lime scent wafting up from it.  
No clues here as to what it was, but at least he  
knew that it wasn't any poison or potion he'd  
encountered before either.  
  
Ranma noticed that Set was watching him closely now.  
  
{Why's he so interested in getting me to drink this?}  
  
"Well? Are you going to drink or must my minions spill more  
of this fair maiden's blood?"  
  
The lackies raised their weapons a little higher.  
  
"Alright already! I'll do it."  
  
{Oh well. Bottoms up!}  
  
Ranma closed his eyes tightly and gulped the potion down.  
He braced himself for whatever effects the potion would have.  
  
{...Kinda tastes like fresh butter. It's not bad though...}  
  
Strange, he didn't really feel any different, just a weird tingling  
sensation all over his body like a minor itch. Ranma was still  
trying to figure out what the liquid was supposed to do to him  
when Katrina was pushed into him all of a sudden.  
  
"Now kill her slave!! Tear her apart!!!"  
  
The Jackel God was exultant, his most hated foe would be  
slain by her own friend's hands and she didn't even recognize him.  
The sadistic irony was so delicious, he would enjoy listening to  
the Goddess's screams.  
  
Ranma blinked. Then he smirked at the baffled Set and made  
the magical one finger gesture that drives anyone who sees it  
into a mad frenzy. To top it off he used one of the most insulting  
curses he'd learned from the locals  
  
"Forget it you "son of a bitch who's ancesters ate dung  
and drank the leavings of water horses"."  
  
Shock was written all over Set's face. Then sheer rage took over.  
  
"IMPOSSIBLE!!! You dare to mock ME??! KILL THEM BOTH!!"  
  
Energy beams crisscrossed the room as the guards and Ranma  
simultaneously opened fire. Ranma shielded Katrina with his body,   
the light suit of body armor he was wearing was almost completely   
destroyed within the first thirty seconds of the battle. At the   
same time his HI-80 Laser Rifle roared a dragon's blast of red fire.  
  
The first shot cut through the stonework over Set's head, burying him in  
the rubble. One, then two, then three of the guards fell back  
with steaming holes in their chests. A fourth screamed as the beam  
passed through its arms, severing them cleanly at the elbow.  
The sixth shot decapitated his target, the headless body continuing to fire  
  
until it finally fell to the ground. The rest of the group finally  
realized their predicament and scrambled for cover, their wild shots  
striking the walls and the ceiling more often then hitting Ranma.  
  
Taking the opportunity presented he fired a few more shots in  
their general direction, more intended to keep them from firing  
back then to actually hit anyone. There had been enough death  
here for one day.  
  
Clad only in the tattered remains of his clothes now, the rest of his  
garments just molten scraps of plastic and metal Ranma picked up Katrina  
and dropped his gun to the floor. He pointed his free hand at the wall   
next to them.  
  
"Better shield your eyes Kat, the real fireworks are about to go off."  
  
"What are you Ranma!?"  
  
"If we survive this I promise to explain everything."  
  
As soon as he saw her shut her eyes Ranma fired a Cosmic Blast at the  
stone wall. The sheer brilliance of it temporarily blinded the guards that  
had the misfortune of looking in that direction. A moment later a fresh  
gaping hole leading to the outside of the pyramid had been made.  
  
Ranma grabbed his rifle from the floor along the way  
out as he carried Katrina and took off into the open blue sky.  
  
"I believe you owe me an explanation Saotome."  
  
"Uh...it's a long story."  
  
"I have time."  
  
"Well you see it all started at this place called Jusenkyo..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
At the temple the Dark God finally freed himself from his  
stony imprisonment.  
  
His canine eyes burned red with rage.  
  
Set would have revenge for this outrage!  
  
"Ranma...I WILL KILL YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Aiyah. What a mess."  
  
"What was that potion anyway?"  
  
Rowan fastforwarded to the scene where  
Ranma had a talk with Thoth.  
  
Apperently the potion had been one of his  
creations and had been stolen by the Jackel God.  
However it wasn't quite what Set had thought it was.  
  
"Potion of Universal Compatibility???"  
  
Everyone's eyes widened.  
  
"Uh oh..."  
  
"You mean...?"  
  
"Let's put it this way, it gives a whole new  
meaning to inter-racial romance."  
  
"In other words if it's female and fits...oh boy."  
  
(To be continued)  
  
*$*$*$*$*  
(1) What did you expect? Since they don't have the  
power of a deity they have to rely on cheesy devices instead.  
  
(2) D-Bee: Rifts slang for Dimensional Being.  
Basically a humanoid of any race from a different dimension. 


	8. Chapter 2b: Just When You Thought Things...

2b: Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Get Any Worse.  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"What was with the gun though? I mean, it's not like he really needs it."  
  
Any subject was preferable to this newest complication in the Bet  
going on. Even the Bard had winced as they listened in on Thoth's  
explanation to Ranma of the exact nature of the Universal Compatibility  
Spell.  
~~~~~~  
  
Apparently it permanently "altered" the victim in such a way  
as to allow them to consummate a relationship with a person  
of the opposite gender of virtually any humanoid race by  
compensating for any severe differences in size or genetics  
between the two.  
  
The Ibis God confessed that it had never been intended for a  
CosmoKnight though. There was no telling what side-effects  
the magic might have on Ranma's cosmically charged body.  
He had to admit though it would probably be very interesting.  
  
He even offered a handsome sum to be able to observe and  
record the results. Ranma politely turned him down.  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hmm? Oh you mean why he didn't just start blasting his  
way through like a one man army?"  
  
"Yeah, I mean look at him. He's got the firepower,  
why doesn't he use it?"  
  
"Same reason Rowan rarely uses his powers, it's the  
equivalent of painting a nice fat bullseye on your back  
while waving a sign around that says `Big threat here, please kill me!'  
Not to mention that it's not just overkill, it's extreme overkill.  
And that goes against the code of conduct for a CosmoKnight."  
  
"Code of conduct?"  
  
The Guardian closed his eyes and quietly counted to ten.  
  
{Must.....control.....fist...of....death.}  
  
"He talking about the silly chivalry and honor thing."  
  
"Oh! Why didn't you say so!?"  
  
"Ahem, a code of honor is not a thing nor is it silly. Just because  
SOME of us make it habit of fighting dirty in order to win is no  
reason to insult the ones who are civilized enough to have a  
sense of morals."  
  
The Guardian glared at Shadow meaningfully.  
  
Shadow ignored it, he knew that irked the knight more then anything else.  
  
"I use whatever works. Too bad Ranma can't anymore."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The code of the CosmoKnight is more flexible  
then most. Basically your standard be good and  
protect the innocent package deal. However part of the  
code also means keeping a low profile and at least  
attempting to do things the legal way."  
  
"And if they don't?"  
  
"They fall. That.....would be a bad thing."  
  
"So what about when the law doesn't work?"  
  
"When that happens, then they pull out the heavy firepower,  
start kicking ass and taking names."(1)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Juesenkyo  
  
"Ah sir, you are most unlucky."  
  
The guide had heard a scream and  
arrived just in time to see a charred  
boy wearing a bandanna leap into  
one of the cursed springs.Not just any  
normal cursed spring either, this particular  
spring had a very ancient legend surrounding it.  
  
Only the truly stupid people of the land, those who  
blamed their misfortunes on others and relied on violence  
to solve their problems ever fell into this spring.  
The spring of drowned.....  
  
"Hee Haw!!!" [Translation: "Ranma, this is all your fault!!!"]  
  
...Jackass.(2)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
-A Few Provinces Over  
  
Genma was fleeing for his life.  
  
If the Amazons caught him then the only  
future he had was as a rug by the fireplace.  
  
All he'd done was eaten one lousy feast!  
Was that any reason to go on the warpath?!  
  
Genma would have cursed his lousy luck  
but he needed the all the air he had for running.  
  
It was definitely time to leave China.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Are you sure you didn't forget anything sir?"  
  
"Yeah, I've got everything all packed up to go.  
You worry too much Lo Shun, it's not good for you."  
  
"Sorry Captain."  
  
He hesitated then gave her a quick hug.  
  
"It's okay, I'm going to miss your fussing over me."  
  
"Captain!"  
  
"My, such an interesting shade of red you're turning."  
  
Hefting his two bags Ranma Saotome walked out  
to the hanger, whistling a cheerful little ditty. Behind him  
a very flustered Amazon tried to regain her composure.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Good luck, Ranma." Tania's normally cheerful voice was subdued,  
the loss of the finest man any of them had ever met was hitting her  
the hardest out of the crew.  
  
With longing eyes and aching hearts they watched on the viewscreens  
as their former commander's Avenger Power Armor descended  
toward the world below.....  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was an empty planet, mostly dry hot desert. Although the  
atmosphere was just barely within the minimal life sustaining range  
its lack of any type of natural resources and its distance from any  
easily reachable population center had insured that the planet  
remained uninhabited, it was too far from the normal trade routes  
for even pirates to use as a base. If there was a bright center to  
the universe this was probably the planet furthest from it.  
  
"Okay, I'm here. Now what?"  
  
Seeing no immediate answer forthcoming,  
Ranma settled down to wait.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He waited for an hour.  
  
Cosmoknights were supposed to be invulnerable  
to extreme temperature changes.  
  
"Damn, it's hot."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Another three hours passed.  
  
He'd had to dismiss his Avenger back  
into its dimensional pocket to prevent the  
generators from overheating. Still no sign.  
  
Patience was a warrior's virtue.  
  
Ranma was rapidly reaching the limit of his.  
  
This was getting ridiculous.  
  
"Hey! I'm HERE!! Make with  
the Bippity Boppety Boo already!!!"  
  
Silence answered him.  
  
"Damn it! I wish something would happen!!"  
  
Ranma's eyes widened as soon as the words  
left his mouth, he'd done it again.  
  
You'd think after all this time he would  
know better then to say something like that.  
When would he ever learn?  
  
The ground beneath him collapsed.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"  
  
A moment after he passed through the underground  
Rift it closed again with what suspiciously sounded  
like a giant burp.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Back at Juesenkyo  
  
A rip opened in the fabric of space and time once more. A truly alien  
mosaic of magic and quantom level energy that deposited several tons  
of sand and greyish dirt onto one of the springs, filling it completely.  
Several seconds later a young man fell onto the small hill that had formed.  
  
Right after that a backpack and good-sized suitcase crashed into the  
young man's noggin.  
  
Ranma was back.  
  
His arrival didn't go unnoticed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Washu's curiosity was piqued. Her sensors had just picked up a  
large dimensional anomaly that had lasted exactly 2.45 minutes.  
According to the data, something had come through it.  
  
A familiar gleam filled her eye.  
  
This was very interesting...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sailor Pluto spit out her tea in surprise as she sensed the  
surge of power that marked the Rift's presence. And it  
originated from the same general region where the recent  
disturbance in the Earth's leylines had come from.  
  
Something had come to Earth.  
Something powerful. Something dangerous.  
  
She needed to find the Outer Senshi immediately.  
  
Luna and Artemis were already meeting with the Inner Senshi.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The surge of power passed a certain temple.  
Belldandy, Urd and Skuld all blinked in surprise.  
Something was up, a call to the Almighty might be in order.  
  
Mara was already on the phone with her superiors.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma dusted himself off, as landings went it hadn't been too bad.  
  
He inhaled deeply.  
  
He was back home. Well not really, looked like he was right back  
where had started from in China. But this was HIS Earth, no monsters  
or demons or killer aliens and having to save the world every couple of  
days.  
  
At last, Ranma had finally gotten back to a normal world, the weirdness  
that had been dominating his life for the past four years was finally over.  
  
If he'd been able to see into the future Ranma might not have  
been so relieved.  
  
But for now...Life was Good.  
  
(To be continued)  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
(1) This is arguably the most fun part about being  
a Cosmoknight.  
  
(2) Inspired by Peter Suzuki's fic "Spring of Drowned Goblin"  
and Ukyo's classic line from the Anime.  
  
The Code of the CosmoKnight(Condensed version):  
  
Defend the just and the good.  
Defend the weak and innocent.  
Defend nature.  
Protect the Cosmic Forge.  
Obey the law unless it's evil.  
Fight Evil.  
Never betray or abandon a friend or comrade.  
Always keep your word.  
Never give in to Evil.  
Show mercy to those who deserve it.  
Show respect where it is due.  
Never taunt those weaker then you.  
Die with Honor.  



	9. Chapter 2c: Yet again...Here's Ranma.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
2c: Yet again...Here's Ranma.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Excuse I. Looks for overweight bear is bald fool. You sight?"  
  
Ranma had picked up a few extra languages in  
his stay in Phase World, Trade Language had enough  
Chinese in it for him to be able to speak a little of it.  
It was still pretty horrible though, English had been more  
common and he'd concentrated more on learning that in  
order to communicate with most of the people he'd encountered.  
  
The fact that the people he was asking were looking at him  
like he was a few bricks shy of a load wasn't very encouraging.  
Ranma knew his father had come this way, the tracks were faded  
but hadn't disappeared entirely. There couldn't be that many runaway  
grizzlies in this part of China.  
  
When asked the guide had stunned Ranma by telling him that  
only two weeks had passed since his disappearance in this world.  
In fact when Ranma first walked into the Guide's hut the poor man thought  
he was a ghost. It had taken Ranma awhile to convince him that he was not.  
A small fee later and Ranma was pointed in the direction his father turned  
grizzly had last been heading.  
  
A few hours later Ranma had found himself  
at the outskirts of a quaint little village. He noticed  
quite a few weapons being carried around, almost everyone  
here was armed with at least one sharp or blunt hand to hand weapon.  
Some of them was familar with, others he had heard about and some  
of the weapons looked so strange that he couldn't even begin to  
guess how they were used unless he were to actually see them in combat.  
  
He figured that this was as good a place as any to ask about his father. (1)  
  
His efforts seemed to be in vain though, the men he  
had been trying to question had all just looked at him  
strangely before going on their way. All of the women  
seemed to be gathered around some kind of ring, watching  
a martial arts match taking place on a log in the middle of it.  
  
Curious, he walked towards it. Along the way he caught  
snippets of the conversations the women were having.  
  
"...terrible......having to have....rematch..."  
  
"....Tournament.....interrupted.."  
  
".....animal.......ruining the..."  
  
"...eating sacred.....prize feast....."  
  
"...Damn....find it....make a rug...."  
  
"....we ever catch it.....use it as main course...."  
  
"...Stupid.....bear..."  
  
The last one caught his attention, surely it couldn't  
just be a coincidence. So caught up in the prospect of  
finding his father, Ranma completely missed the looks  
directed his way.  
  
He tried to get closer, but a gnarled staff being thrust in front  
of him stopped Ranma in his tracks. Despite having less then  
a split second of warning two of his fingers automatically  
intercepted the blow before it could strike him in the chest.  
  
Ranma caught it less then two inches from his body.  
  
Cologne was impressed.  
  
She'd picked him out almost from the moment  
he set foot in the village. Despite the worn  
grey cloak that hid most of this stranger's body  
she could see his skill in the way he moved.  
Ranma's step was light and sure, like a large  
confident cat that knew he could  
handle whatever was thrown at him.(2)  
  
His power was harder to make out, it was as if something  
was obscuring his aura. Still, she sensed a strength within  
this boy. In three thousand years of Chinese Amazon history  
never had such a gifted warrior appeared. If his looks were  
as good as his reflexes she just might have found a suitable  
husband for her great granddaughter.  
  
Only one way to find out.  
  
Cologne's eyes twinkled as she retracted her staff,  
then attacked repeatedly with it in a blur of motion.  
  
"Hey!" Ranma yelled as the strange old shrunken  
woman attacked again with her stick.  
  
His right hand seemed to vanish as it moved to parry  
the swift assault. The seconds stretched into minutes  
as the two fought a duel that was almost too fast  
for the naked eye to see. Ranma's attention was so focused  
on keeping the staff away from him that he failed to notice  
that their display was picking up an audience.  
  
At first only a few Amazons noticed, but word quickly spread  
of this stranger male sparring with Cologne and soon the  
entire gathering was watching. This was impossible! A mere  
male was defending himself successfully against a Village Elder?!  
  
Eventually a lucky blow slipped through Ranma's defense.  
  
*Slash* *Rip*  
  
Ranma's cloak fell to the ground, cut cleanly in half.  
  
The audience gasped in surprise, which quickly turned  
to delight as they got their first good look at the revealed  
pigtailed young man.  
  
{Damn it! I knew I should have used both hands!}  
  
"What'd you do that for?!!" Was she crazy?!  
  
"Well, well, you are a looker.You gave me quite  
a workout there sonny boy, the best I've had in a hundred years."  
  
"Why you....wait a minute! You can speak Japanese?  
Why'd you attack me?! I haven't done anything wrong!"  
  
"Shampoo, what do you think of him?"  
  
"What do you mean Great grandmother?"  
  
"The village needs strong warriors, grandaughter.  
This one is as strong as they come, we'd be fools  
to just let him get away."  
  
"Now wait just a minute! I'm here looking for a bear  
that's my father...err...my father who's a bear...umm...  
Pop the bear...damn, this sounds ridiculous even to me."  
  
Those who could understand Japanese helpfully translated  
for the rest. The mood of the crowd soured. They remembered  
the bear alright, and their memories were not fond ones.  
  
"That was your bear, the one that ruined the Amazon Tournament?"  
Cologne was secretly delighted, it looked like this would be easier  
then she had first thought.  
  
"Uh, I guess...maybe." It sounded like something Pop would do.  
  
"So YOU are the one responsible for ruining my moment of triumph!!"  
  
Ranma guessed from the enraged look on the girl's  
face that that had been the wrong thing to say.  
  
"Hiyah!! I will make you pay stranger male!!!"  
  
"Wait!! Hold on!!"  
  
{Aw what's the use...she isn't listening to a word I'm saying.}  
  
Ranma stepped back to avoid a bonbori to the stomach, tilted  
his head to the side as a crescent kick spun past and leaped to  
avoid a hit to a very sensitive place that Ranma was quite found  
of and had no intention of risking. Even if she couldn't actually  
hurt him he wasn't taking any chances. The first lesson that had  
been constantly drilled into his head was that stupidity got you killed.  
  
Or worse...  
  
Ranma was still among the living and had every intention  
of staying that way.  
  
Shampoo's attacks were driving him back, Ranma was forced to  
give ground in order to avoid her reckless thrusts and swings since he  
still refused to fight back. He did NOT hit girls. Women serving in  
combat was one thing, but he drew the line at actually hurting them.  
He'd learned more pleasant ways to deal with girls after his hide,  
although he'd found out that that method also had its drawbacks.(3)  
  
The pigtailed boy leapt backwards up to the challenge log,  
trying to find a way out of this dilemma. He knew  
he could outlast her, already he could see sweat  
starting to form on her brow as her frantic pace  
of attack finally started catching up to her.  
  
He thought she really looked cute like that.  
There was just something about her seeming vulnerability,  
he knew she wasn't even close to his league and he could  
see that she was starting to realize the same thing. It made  
him want to just give her a big hug and tell her that everything  
would be all right.  
  
Sentiment made Ranma sloppy, he was snapped back to reality by a  
round mace nearly impacting into his face. Years of constant death  
threats had sharpened Ranma's reflexes though, he bent back with  
millimeters to spare as he instinctively used the countermove for that  
type of attack.  
  
The power behind the bonbori strike was such that Shampoo found herself  
badly overextended and off balance as she saw the stranger male  
finally take the offense for the first time. As soon as Ranma realized  
what he was doing he he pulled back, trying to stop his blow from  
connecting.  
  
The Amazon had no way of knowing this  
though as she attempted to simultaneously  
twist to avoid the kick and hop back onto a better spot.  
  
She landed on a part of the log made slippery by  
the sweat from the previous fighters who had been  
using it during the tournament.  
  
Shampoo's foot slipped...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Her eyes squeezed shut as she braced herself,  
she didn't have time to land properly.  
  
This was going to hurt.  
  
Strong hands caught her as she fell. Instead of the  
expected painful impact into the hard ground Shampoo  
found herself being held by something warmer and very firm.  
Her eyes slowly peeked open to see her savior.  
  
A concerned Ranma cradled her in his arms, his worried  
visage was very close to hers.  
  
"Are you okay? I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I should have  
stopped this sooner."  
  
Ranma started worrying when all she did was stare into his eyes.  
Had he been too rough catching her? Was she mad at him?  
Why wasn't she saying anything?  
  
Yelling he could deal with, but this uncomfortable silence  
was driving him nuts. Ranma berated himself, dummy, dummy, dummy...  
  
{Shampoo never see such deep shade of blue before...}  
  
Twin spots of red formed on her cheeks.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. That knight in shining armor routine is  
the main reason why you're always getting into trouble. You really  
should know better by now."  
  
Shadow shook his head sadly, some people just never learn.  
  
"He can not still be THAT naive about women can he?!?!?!"  
  
Zora shrugged at the Bard.  
  
"Old habits die hard."  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
~The scene turned all hazy as romantic violin music  
started to play in the background and cherry blossoms  
started to drift down. The handsome noble stranger swept  
up Shampoo for a glorious kiss that would outshine the sun...~  
  
"Hello?" Ranma waved a hand in front of the daydreaming girl.  
  
Although he'd let her go she still hadn't said a thing, now he was  
glad to see that she at least seemed to be smiling now.  
The reason behind her now goofy grin totally escaped him.  
He figured it must be a girl thing and left it at that.  
  
"I'll just be on my way now, sorry about this."  
  
{Gotta remember to have a chat with old Pops. I'm through  
putting up with him getting me stuck in his messes.}  
  
"Hold it! Do you really think you can just walk away after defeating  
Shampoo?"  
  
"Uh...yeah. I didn't actually beat her, she just tripped by accident."  
  
"I'm afraid we just can't let someone like you go,  
your destiny lies here Son in law."  
  
"And how are you planning on stopping me?" Ranma reached down   
for the bag he had dropped when he dived to catch Shampoo.   
There was some stuff in there that he figured he would need   
sooner or later, most of it was irreplaceable unless he ever   
went back to Phase World. That was probably not going to happen   
for a long time, if ever.  
  
A sudden sinking feeling made him look back up.  
  
{I have got to learn to stop putting my foot in my mouth one of these  
days.}  
  
A horde of young unmarried Amazons charged in on him from all sides,   
the afternoon sun glinting off their unsheathed weapons.  
  
Cologne wasn't the only one to figure out that this  
young man would be an excellent catch for whoever caught him.  
And since Shampoo hadn't given him the Kiss of Marriage yet  
that meant he was still fair game.  
  
"HIYAH!!!"  
  
{Eep!}  
  
"YAAAAHHH!!! Saotome Anything Goes School  
of Martial Arts Final Attack Revised!!! Strike Fast and Run Faster!!!"  
  
Ranma then proceeded to do so.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Much later  
  
Around midnight the last girl chasing after Ranma  
collapsed from sheer exhaustion. He had left  
behind him twenty Amazons knocked out by pressure  
points and the rest tired and panting on the road as he'd  
proceed to sprint away and kept on running without stopping once.  
  
This incredible display of stamina only increased their determination.  
If he could last that long at running, who knew how long he could  
last at other physical activities?  
  
They couldn't wait to find out.  
  
Ranma's escape was only a temporary setback. The important thing  
was that he had defeated women of the Amazon tribe. Now all they  
had to do was catch him and bring him back.  
  
How hard could it be?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
-Several miles away  
  
Ranma got a familar feeling of forboding. He nervously looked  
around, normally that feeling meant that his women troubles  
were about to make an appearence. But then he realized that the  
girls after him were in several other dimensions, Ranma relaxed.  
It wasn't like they could just show up one day to visit him right?  
  
Thunder rumbled ominously from the heavens above.(4)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-One week later, Tendo Dojo  
  
Soun Tendo read the postcard that had come in the mail.  
  
Right after he finished he burst out into tears.  
  
"Oh the tragedy!".  
  
"What is it father?" Kasumi poked her head out from the kitchen.  
  
"Yes daddy, please explain why you're making us the  
embarrassment of the neighborhood."  
  
Nabiki gave her father a stern look, she was trying to  
watch the television without any interruptions.  
  
"Dad, what's wrong?"  
  
A concerned Akane came rushing in from the Dojo, still in  
her sweaty practice gi.  
  
"*Sob*...Sit down girls, I have something to tell you..."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Meanwhile  
  
People screamed in stark terror as a giant eating machine  
tromped down the street. Grizzly Bears were unheard of  
in Japan and known mostly by reputation. It was a very  
undeserved reputation too, the bears tended to maul  
more victims then they killed.  
  
Needless to say, Genma quickly had a path  
cleared in front of him.  
  
He was almost there...  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"FIANCEE?!"  
  
"Yes, the son of a good friend of mine. A sacred pledge was made  
to one day have our children marry in order to join our two schools  
together  
and carry on the Dojo."  
  
"Wait a minute! Don't we get a say in this?"  
  
"Akane's right, father. We don't even know his name yet."  
  
"His name was Ranma Saotome and during a  
training accident he DROWNED!!!*BOOHOO*  
*CRY*SNIFFLE* WAAAAAHHHH!!!!"  
  
Tendo Waterworks; Do not pass go,  
do not collect 2000 yen. Very tragic story.  
  
"Oh my. That's terrible."  
  
{How tragic to be cut down in the prime of life.} Kasumi made a  
note to visit the local temple later and pray for the poor soul.  
  
"Whew! At least that nonsense is over then."  
  
For a moment Akane had been worried, the last thing she  
needed was having to deal with another pervert after her.  
She felt a little bad, but since she had never met the jerk  
it wasn't really any of her business. She had her own  
problems to worry about.  
  
"I know you hate boys sis, but that's harsh even for you."  
  
Nabiki was digusted with her younger sister, someone really needed  
to show the spoiled brat that she was not the center of the universe.  
Okay, so maybe she was just a mite jealous of all the attention that  
Akane attracted where as she hadn't even had so much as a single  
guy ever ask her out yet. Could you blame her? And now here was  
the news that their potential fiancee had just passed away and Akane  
was relieved!?!  
  
{I wish for once that there was a guy that was NOT interested  
in my violent maniac of a sister.}  
  
A stray breeze blew in, it sounded disturbingly like elfish laughter...  
  
...and smelled like a wet fur rug.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma was almost absolutely, positively, totally sure  
that he was going to kill his father when he found him.  
  
The nerve of that...that...  
  
Ranma used a word that referred to a six appendaged  
fifth dimensional being committing an obscene and  
anatomically impossible act on itself. The term was so  
offensive that it was a declaration of war in twelve star  
systems and the equivalent of a challenge to a fight to  
the death in a hundred more. It didn't even come close  
to describing Ranma's current feelings toward Pop but  
it was the best he could do.  
  
What kind of father used his son as collateral?! It was something  
he expected back in Rifts, not here!! It had been almost too  
easy to pick Genma's trail, all he had to do was look for the places  
the old fart had ripped off. Once he said his name was Ranma Saotome  
if he was immediately besieged by shopkeepers and restaurant owners  
he knew that he was going in the right direction. Of course Ranma also   
had to flee the town immediately, so he hadn't learned the purpose that  
Genma had in mind for him when he sold him. (5)  
Nor did he want to know.  
  
It hadn't taken him long to find that his father had fled China.  
  
No sense in wasting money on a plane ticket, he figured.  
  
Soon after that a human-sized shape was flying toward Japan  
several times faster then the speed of sound.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Tendo Residence  
  
"Auuugh!!" Soun screamed in panic,  
Nabiki decided to join him for once.  
  
"It's a bear!" Kasumi wondered how she  
was going to clean up after this walking hair shedder..  
  
"I'll kill it!!" Akane hefted the table.  
  
"Growf!!" The grizzly waved its paws in negation.  
  
It produced a wooden sign.  
  
[Hi! Need hot water please.]  
  
"It can communicate?" Akane dropped the table in surprise.  
  
"Hold on a minute Mr.Bear. I'll get the water."  
Kasumi went into the kitchen, it was a guest after all.  
  
"What would a grizzly bear need hot water for?"  
Nabiki hated being behind in information, it was  
harder to make a profit off the situation when  
you didn't know everything going on.  
  
[It's a long story.]  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Not too far away  
  
Ranma started walking, after a couple of bottles  
of sake Genma had always used to go on about  
his good friend Soun and the Tendo Dojo.  
That was his best bet of finding him, according  
to the streetmap he'd gotten it wasn't too far away.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
-One round of introductions later  
  
"Oh Genma, how did such a terible  
misfortune befall you?" Soun looked like  
he was on the verge of tears...again.  
  
"Alas Soun, My poor boy was too weak for the training.  
In our match I accidently kicked him into one of the springs  
with my superior skill."  
  
*Knock**Knock*  
  
"I'll get it." Kasumi, always the polite  
hostess went to see who was at the front door.  
  
"Yes, who is..." The rest of her sentence died a  
swift death as Kasumi got her first good look at  
the person who had been knocking.  
  
Her first thought was that this young man had just  
stepped off the cover of one of those torrid passion  
filled romance novels that she secretly hid among the  
books she borrowed from Docter Tofu. His clothes and  
light tan gave his already handsome features an exotic cast  
that reminded her of all things of a dashing pirate. He only  
appeared slightly older then her but Ranma had an experienced  
look that made him seem even more mature then he actually was.  
  
"Hi. I'm sorry to bother you but have  
you seen a large grizzly around here?"  
  
Ranma smiled.  
  
*Doki**Doki*   
  
Kasumi could feel her heart racing,  
Those blue eyes were so deep, she felt   
like she was drowning in them.  
  
And that accent just made him sound so manly...(6)  
  
Vaguely Kasumi realized that the handsome  
young man had asked her something.  
  
Her hand pointed inside.  
  
Ranma thanked her and walked past her.  
  
A few moments later Kasumi realized that she  
was staring out at empty space and went in after him.  
  
"....and so Tendo, despite my heroic efforts to save him  
Ranma slid to the bottom of the spring. When I surfaced  
after diving in I found myself within this horrible cursed form.  
Oh the suffering a true martial artist must undergo!! My poor  
foolish son, oh why didn't you listen to me when I told you not to  
go to Jusenkyo!!!"  
  
"Put a sock in it Pop, you're a horrible liar."  
  
"Wha...Who are you?"  
  
"Father, we have a visitor."  
  
"I can see that Kasumi, young man who are you?!"  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Ranma Saotome, sorry about this."  
  
(To be continued)  
  
*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) After living in a dimension where heavy weapons are  
pretty much required dress items Ranma tends to  
think of any place where you don't carry blasters  
as peaceful.  
  
(2) Did I mention Ranma has gotten MUCH better  
as a Martial Artist? And that he's finally learned the  
Art of being subtle, sorta?  
  
(3) Anything Goes School of Marital Arts.  
If I need to spell it out for you then you're obviously   
too young to be reading this.  
  
(4) Not a good sign. But you didn't need me to tell you that.  
  
(5) Something he would regret later.  
  
(6) Uh oh!  



	10. Chapter 2d: Now the fun begins...

~~~~~~  
2d: Now the fun begins...  
~~~~~~  
  
"WHAT?!" Four voices rang out.  
  
"Oh my." Correction, make that five.  
  
For some reason Kasumi wasn't as adverse  
to the idea as might have been expected by  
those who knew her.  
  
Genma looked at him, this couldn't be his son....could it?  
This guy looked like he could tear Genma's bear form  
apart without even trying. There was a faint resemblance  
to his boy, but this man looked older and possessed a  
confidence that he had never ever seen in his son before.  
  
Then he looked into his eyes. Genma froze like a mouse  
staring up at a falcon diving toward him for the kill.  
  
This was Ranma, there was no doubt about it.  
An older, harder and much more dangerous  
Ranma but it was him, the eyes never lied.  
There was no disguising the wild spirit burning  
within them, with terrifying certainty he knew that  
whatever trials his son had gone through had only  
made him stronger and that Genma no longer had  
any hold over him. Fast on the heels of that realization  
was the accompanying denial, he'd used the boy before  
and he could do it again. After all he was Ranma's father,  
the boy had still respected that even after he no longer  
respected Genma as an individual. He owned his insolent  
son, a few weeks couldn't have broken his control so easily.  
  
Somehow that line of reasoning wasn't  
as reassuring to him as it should have been.  
  
Nabiki licked her suddenly dry lips, the room was  
feeling rather warm all of a sudden. This wasn't at all  
what she had expected. A dumb jock this was not,  
she was looking at some prime grade A beef here.  
A flash of silver from his hand caught her eye.  
  
Well, if he could afford a trinket like that he  
wasn't exactly starving, she concluded.  
  
Suddenly this engagement business  
didn't seem so bad after all. Worse case  
scenerio; she'd make some money off of  
him, Best case: she'd have a well off husband  
that wasn't hard to look at. A win-win situation,  
just the way she liked it.  
  
Akane snorted rudely, he was a guy even if he  
was kind of attractive. She'd had handsome guys  
after her too and she knew they were all perverted  
pond scum. Kuno was handsome and look  
at how he behaved! This one was the same as the rest of  
them she decided. Only Doctor Tofu was different from  
the rest of the male gender. She HATED boys!!!  
  
Although Akane was beginning to get a bit irritated that  
he hadn't seemed to even notice her yet. If there was one  
thing that Akane hated even more then boys it was  
not being the center of attention. She was the most popular  
girl in school after all, why else would all those stupid  
boys be chasing her?  
  
Soun was confused. So he did what came naturally to him.  
Take the first emotion that comes along and run with it.  
  
"I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE ALIVE SON!!!"  
  
The Soun Tendo Glomp(tm), distant cousin  
to the Amazon Glomp(tm), was locked on   
target and engaged.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma moved to the side to avoid being   
crushed by what appeared to be a hysterical   
water fountain. Soun found himself clutching   
only air.  
  
"Is he always like this?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Not all of the time." Oh dear, she hoped he  
would forgive Father's rude behavior. Kasumi   
wondered if Ranma would think her too forward   
if she asked him out now.  
  
To everyone else it appeared as if he had  
just vanished and then reappeared at Kasumi's side.  
  
There was a synchonized blink.  
  
That finally snapped them out of their shock.  
  
"You...YOU PERVERT!!"  
  
How dare he try to take advantage of her sister like that!  
Akane fumed, her mind lynching the mild sense of  
disappointment that she had unexpectedly felt.  
  
Ranma ignored her, his attention focusing on Genma now  
that the immediate threat had been avoided. He did not  
look happy, in fact the chilling glare he was shooting at  
the overweight buffoon made a Siberian blizzard look  
downright cozy.  
  
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to trouble you but is there someplace  
that I can have a little *talk* with my father in private? There  
are some things that need to be resolved before we can  
finish introductions. "  
  
"Well, the dojo's available...." Maybe she could ask him  
after dinner, Kasumi drifted off a little as her long repressed  
imagination and hormones started to explore that line of thought.  
A harmless little daydream couldn't hurt anyone and who  
knew, it might not be just a fantasy for long.  
  
"Thanks! C'mon Pop." He grabbed his old man by the ear  
and dragged him out of the room despite Genma's protests.  
  
"Ow! Hey leggo!! This no way to  
treat your fath...Owowowow!!!"  
  
"Hey!! I'm talking to you!!! Don't you dare turn your back to me!!!"  
  
Akane's temper grew as her words had absolutely no  
effect on this boy. How dare he act like she wasn't even here!  
  
Nabiki's eyebrows raised.  
  
{So the little princess finally meets a guy who won't  
bow and scrape toward her...Interesting.  
This fiancee is looking better by the minute. I wonder  
what other goodies he's hiding.}  
  
If there was one thing that motivated Nabiki more then money it was  
her curiosity. Nothing piqued her interest faster then a mystery,  
knowledge meant power and power meant control. Nabiki had been  
seeking control ever since her mother had passed away, the drive for  
answers and the order they provided had not dimmed through the years.  
  
A small feline smile crossed her lips.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
In the Tendo Dojo a confrontation was taking place.  
  
A flick of Ranma's wrist sent Genma sprawling onto  
the hard wooden floor. Then he dropped his suitcase  
and backpack on the worn boards. Ranma wanted to  
have as much maneuverability as possible when he had  
it out with his Pop, even though it had been years since  
he'd last seen Genma he remembered all too well how  
sneaky the old man could be, especially when trying  
to escape responsibility for his behavior.  
  
Ranma waited a few moments for his father to pull  
himself together, taking the time to study Genma  
through eyes hardened by knowledge and experience  
and compare it to what he remembered.  
  
{Funny, I thought he was taller then that.}  
  
His last memories had been of a man who had been  
an imposing master of the martial arts to be heeded, if not respected.  
Despite his contempt for Genma as a parent Ranma still had  
acknowledged the old man's skill as a fighter, so seeing him  
now was a shock, Especially considering he'd only been gone a  
few weeks in this world's time. He hadn't realized that the  
years of fighting against some of the most powerful beings  
in the Multiverse had affected his standards. The young knight  
had become accustomed to beings possessing the strength of  
ten men as the norm, many of his opponents had been many  
times stronger then even he was and Ranma's own  
enhanced physical prowess was nothing to sneer at.  
  
All he saw now was the remains of a once formidable fighter  
succumbing to years of excess and sloth. The ironcorded muscles  
Genma had once been known for were steadily degrading into fat.  
The once proud frame of steel that had survived so many battles  
was weakening as it started to succumb to the first symptoms  
of age and gluttony.  
  
"Ranma! You're alive!!"  
  
"About time that fact sunk in Pop. You looked like  
you didn't even recognize me for a minute back there."  
  
Ranma had found it surprisingly easy to fall back into  
old patterns, the roughness in his speech bore  
almost no resemblance to the educated  
voice of Captain Saotome, hero of the Alliance.  
It was a concession he had to make with his  
return home, if he used his regular voice here it  
would arouse suspicions he couldn't afford.  
  
Sooner or later he'd have to transform and it  
would be best if no one made the connection between  
the recently returned Saotome and Earth's newest protecter.  
  
He especially didn't want certain interested parties  
to find out that a certain irritating CosmoKnight  
was laying low in a backwater dimension that just happened to  
be his home. The Splugorth had long memories  
and they weren't the only ones after his head.  
It had reached the point where he had lost  
count of the number of beings that wanted him dead,  
enslaved, or worse for ruining their nefarious little schemes.  
Ranma just seemed to have a knack for pissing the wrong people off.  
  
"At last you can fulfill the pledge made between our two schools!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ranma was caught off guard by  
this sudden change in the topic.  
  
Genma had decided to exploit the old chink in Ranma's  
emotional armor, his honor. For as long as his son had  
known about duty and responsibility he'd been using  
that to get Ranma to do what he wanted. It was the  
perfect weapon for someone without scruples,  
the boy might complain and bluster but in the end he always  
did as he was told.  
  
{This occasion shouldn't be any different }  
Genma thought as he explained the details  
of the engagement to his unsuspecting son.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Just when he'd thought the old man couldn't sink any lower...  
  
"So you see boy, it's a matter of family honor.  
You must marry a Tendo."  
  
"No."  
  
"Good, so you'll choose...NO??? This is your  
duty as the Heir of the Anything Goes School! You can't refuse!  
Do you want to disgrace the Saotome name?! Oh the shame!! My  
son has no honor!!!"  
  
"You're the last person that should be  
talking to me about honor *Dad*."  
  
The emphasis on the last was dripping with scorn as Ranma  
got over his shock and got down to the business he'd  
dragged his father in here for.  
  
"Impudent boy!! I need to teach you to respect your father!"  
For all his arrogant bluster Genma was unsure  
if he could still defeat his son. There was hard streak  
within the boy now, he couldn't find any explanation for it  
but it made him nervous. But he couldn't let him get away  
with that kind of disrespect!  
  
Genma's Pride and Common Sense were at war with each other.  
So far it was a stalemate, Genma tended to avoid situations where  
he might lose but he WAS a Saotome.  
  
"Anytime you're ready old man. You've got a lot of  
explaining to do and one way or another I'm going to  
get answers from you." That cocky tone had been the  
doom of worse things then Genma. The pitch was  
calculated to cause the maximum amount of irritation  
and anger to Ranma's opponents and was extremely effective as  
several deceased beings could testify to if they hadn't been reduced  
to their component molecules.  
  
Pride won out. Genma went into his ready combat stance.  
"This is for your own good Ranma, know  
that this will hurt me more then it will you."  
  
{You have no idea how right you are, Pops.}  
  
The pigtailed young man looked unconcerned as  
he stretched his arms behind the back of his head  
and yawned. Ranma had been blessed with the opportunity  
to study the several milleniums worth of combat techniques  
developed from all over the Multiverse and he had not wasted it.  
Genma had no idea what he was getting into, the  
only real challenge for Ranma was defeating his  
relatively frail parent without accidentally killing  
or crippling him in the process. Even a pulled punch  
would probably splatter the old man across the dojo.  
A quick review of his available styles found one that  
should work, advanced Tai-chi was his preferred  
choice when going up against normal humanoids  
he needed to take alive and unharmed.  
  
Well...mostly unharmed anyway.  
  
Still, his careless manner wasn't quite  
as open as it seemed. Genma was still a master  
of the Anything Goes Style after all. Ranma's seeming  
indifference to that was more bluff and deception  
than actual disregard. One of the most valuable lessons  
he had ever learned from his various sensei had been  
that sometimes a confident front was more effective then  
striking a blow in achieving victory over one's opponent.  
  
And it was working, a fine sheen of nervous sweat  
covered Genma's exposed brow as he tried to figure  
out what his son was up to.  
  
"Your move, Oyaji."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Dimensional Lab Pocket  
  
Washu frowned thoughtfully as her fingers danced on her  
hyperdimensional terminal. That rip in the space-time continuum  
that she had detected earlier had occurred in exactly the same  
spot where an unusual energy phenomena had taken place only  
a few weeks before the Rift had appeared. She'd only found that  
now while cross-referencing her backup files. Her main system  
was still repairing itself from the damage caused last month after  
Mihoshi had dragged Tenchi off to a picnic and somehow  
managed to get the two of them lost in her lab instead.  
  
That Ditzy Detective was just...unexplainable!!  
  
The genuis scientist in a twelve year old's body decided to  
stop thinking about that, it only made her head hurt. This new  
mystery was more of a concern. Washu didn't believe in coincidence,  
she was the one who'd disproved its existance seven thousand years ago.  
  
Any doubt she'd had about their visitor's existence was  
laid to rest the minute her satellites had picked up a small  
object moving faster then Ryo-ohki's ship form traveling  
across the Sea of Japan. Unfortunately her equipment had  
lost track of the intruder soon after it had landed  
somewhere in Tokyo. This was going to take awhile,  
but she was WASHU!! The greatest genius scientist in the Universe!!!  
Whoever had entered this dimensional plane of  
reality didn't stand a chance against her.  
  
Ryoko and Ayeka shivered as the sound of  
fiendish laughter rung throughout the house.  
Hadn't Washu promised that her door was  
soundproofed?  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Juuban District  
  
"The time-stream has been disrupted."  
  
"GAAAAHHH!! DON'T DO THAT SETSUNA!!!"  
  
The Inners looked like they were  
about to have a collective heartattack.  
Couldn't the Guardian of Time ever make   
a *normal* entrance for once?!  
  
"I see the gang's all here."  
  
A handsome bishonen blonde leaned against   
the temple door. Beside her were two other   
girls.  
  
"Haruka! Micheru! Hotaru!"  
Usagi looked happy to see her friends  
despite the situation that had brought  
them all together again.  
  
"What's happened? How has the time-stream been altered?"  
  
Ami went straight for the heart of the matter.  
  
"A Rift has opened and let *something * into our Universe.  
Whatever it is, it's good at hiding and possesses an  
extraordinary strength. Its very existance has already sent  
ripples along the very fabric of reality, I can attempt  
to minimize the damage but this invader must be found and  
destroyed quickly before the effects of its presence become permanent."  
  
"Huh? Could you repeat that in simple Japanese?"  
  
Makoto and Minako had gotten lost somewhere  
around the second sentence of Setsuna's speech.  
Their leader hadn't fared much better, Usagi's eyes had  
crossed from the sheer effort of trying to break down  
that giant mouthful into something she could understand.  
  
Setsuna sighed. She sometimes forgot that they were just  
high school girls now, not the educated princesses from  
the Silver Millenium who had been well tutored  
on the subjects of Magic and Dimensional Travel.  
  
"Masaka..." Luna turned deathly pale  
as the meaning of those words sank in.  
  
Artemis was already white as a sheet so  
it was hard to tell how much of it was  
natural and how much was pure unadultrated fear.  
  
They remembered all too well what  
the potential consequences of this could be.  
  
The shattered remains of the Moon Kingdom  
were a grim reminder of what had happened  
the last time a Rift had appeared on Earth...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
In a darkness beyond any hope of light,  
three presences stirred. Their mistress had finally returned.  
  
A chill filled the dimensions of the chamber, one  
that caused the blood to freeze and the soul to gibber in fear.  
  
Metall'a was here.  
  
Bery'l dropped to her knees before her lord and master.  
  
Zois'te and Malach'te both stiffened, they secretly feared that this  
was only the prelude to a fate far worse then death. Alien  
Intelligences weren't known for mercy, their capacity of cruelty  
and sadism was infamous throughout the Megaverse as being on  
par with most Greater Demons and Diabolic Gods. Metall'a in  
particular had little use for those who failed her, even though  
they be her own life essences. The generals had been absorbed  
by the malevolent entity over a thousand years  
ago, their souls now belonged to it forever.  
  
"Incompetents...I AM SURROUNDED BY INCOMPETENT FOOLS!!!"  
  
The psychic backlash from the entity's telepathic  
temper tantrum caused barbed lances of icy hot pain to  
shoot through its minions' temples, an agony they bore  
silently less they attract her attention.  
  
How long had they been trapped here?  
Time seemed meaningless in the Negaverse.  
No sun lit the desolate skies, the denizens of this  
eternally static realm of dark nightmares were ageless,  
living only to feed and to hate.  
  
It seemed as if only yesterday that their  
physical bodies had been destroyed, banishing  
the life essences animating them back to the  
dimension they originated from. It had always been that way,  
Queen Serenity had never realized that all the evil threats  
that had appeared time and time again within the Silver Millenium  
had actually been only a single one that kept returning time and time  
again. Each and every Youma, even the Generals and Bery'l herself were  
mere tiny fragments of Metall'a's very life force. They could not be  
truly killed except here in the darkness that had spawned them, anything  
else merely sent them back to the Negaverse where their creator awaited.  
  
"You cost me dearly Bery'l."  
  
The mighty selfproclaimed queen of evil  
paled as she was singled out. Metall'a had  
been raging ever since their defeat in the Arctic,  
and her wrath had been truly terrifying to behold.  
It appeared that she was finally finished and ready  
to at last renew her eons long assault against  
that pitiful third class dimension that had  
thwarted her at every turn.  
  
The issue that interested Bery'l  
more was whether or not a certain  
red-haired villainess would live long  
enough to be a part of those plans.  
She had sacrifeced her soul to this malevolent  
being, there was no turning back now or ever.  
  
A giant dark crystal materialized in front of the black  
cloud that was the intelligence's true form.  
Within it was imprisoned a figure that was familar to all.  
  
"Jedi'te!!" The three gasped as they looked  
up from where they knelt, surprise momentarily  
overcoming their fear.  
  
"I do not appreciate losing my servants, more so  
when their loss costs me power!!!"  
  
Bery'l screamed as her mind was  
systematically flayed alive, the pain was  
excruciating yet left no physical marks on her.  
The fact that it only felt real was no comfort however,  
the mental rape was intense enough to make her want to  
die yet always remained just below the point of driving  
her totally insane. Torture was an art after all, and Metall'a was  
enjoying her meal with the finesse of a gourmet diner.  
  
The diabolic entity was a Psychic Vampire to whom  
pain and fear were meat and drink. The stronger the  
emotions the sweeter they tasted and she proceeded to squeeze  
every last drop from her servant. Every cry of agony was a  
choice morsel that she greedily devoured, the bursts of unremitting  
terror only whet her appetite for more, always more.....  
  
At last the malicious cloud released its captive. Bery'l  
slumped bonelessly to the ground, too weak to even  
roll with the impact.  
  
"You shall live foolish Queen. I have invested  
too much time and energy into you, to just destroy  
destroy you now would only hamper my efforts. But  
make no mistake Bery'l, I will tolerate your bungling NO LONGER!!!  
You will heed my every command or else what you have just felt  
will pale in comparison to what I will do to you. If you can not serve  
me in one form, you will serve me in another."  
  
Bery'l's eyes widened in stark horror at  
the sight of the jeweled sword that was revealed  
within the smoky tendrils of her Master.  
  
A nearly complete Rune weapon that was lacking  
only its source of power...  
  
...a Soul.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
The crystal prison shattered.  
The last of the three Dark Generals  
was free once more.  
  
Once there had been four of them, cruel  
and merciless agents of chaos and destruction.  
  
Then the unthinkable had happened.  
  
Somehow Nephlite had broken free from  
the Master. Instead of returning to Metall'a and  
a suitable punishment the traitor had actually  
managed to escape and return to being just a  
human soul.  
  
A free human soul.  
  
The Generals found themselves envying Nephlite.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"How'd I get stuck with this?!" A tall, bronzed and well  
built white-blonde Goddess of the Past (On probation)  
asked herself as she walked around the streets of Tokyo,  
already bored out of her mind. She had better things to do  
then search for some mysterious visiter from another dimension,  
her favorite soaps were on now!  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Jan Ken Po!" Two hands swung back and  
forth to finally reveal an open palm and a closed fist respectfully.  
  
"Hah hah! Paper beats rock!! Have fun Urd!!"  
  
"Arrrrggghh!!!"  
  
"Now Urd, Kami-sama needs one of us to investigate this."  
  
"Easy for you to say Belldandy, you're not the one who's  
powers have been suspended. It'll take me forever!!"  
  
"Tough luck sis!" Skuld raspberried her older sister in victory.  
  
"I want a rematch!!"  
  
"No way old lady!! You lost!!"  
  
"WHAT did you call me?! Grrrr...I'll get you!!!"  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"Help!!"  
  
"COME BACK HERE PIPSQUEAK!!!"  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
{Stupid anomaly! Unless the being that came  
through that rip is tall, handsome and knows  
how to show a girl a good time I'm gonna blast it  
into a million little pieces when I find it for getting me  
into this.}  
  
"Hmm? I could have sworn I heard thunder..."  
  
{Must just be all those men collapsing when they see me, I guess.}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The strained silence stretched out between the two combatants.  
  
A koi briefly broke the surface of the pond.  
  
"OY TO SHAH!" Genma opened with high punch  
sweep kick combo that would have caught the old  
Ranma flatfooted and given him one heck of a bruising.  
This wiser and much more experienced Ranma tilted  
his upper body a fraction of a degree to the side, the punch  
missing his face by a hair. A subtle shift of his shoulders and a  
redirection of Genma's forward momentum sent the older man  
tumbling to the right, his aggressive style was being turned  
against him. This would be Ranma's only freebie, a new unexpected  
and unwelcome discovery had been made him in those first cruical  
seconds. A tingle of danger that had started the moment his father  
had launched his attack, and that had been followed by the shock  
of actually feeling the impact of the deflected kick as he'd countered  
it. that should not have been possible unless....  
  
The young CosmoKnight realized that the damn  
curse must have somehow altered his father  
into a creature of magic in both forms, and  
unfortunately that was one of the few things  
that could actually injure or even kill him.  
  
{Damn! So much for just a simple takedown,  
he's got no compunctions about beating the  
crap out of me but I can't use anything except  
my most passive styles. Well I wanted a  
challenge, looks like I got it.}  
  
A few more testing strikes from Genma were  
all avoided or blocked, in return the bald man  
was slammed into the floor a few times but escaped  
relatively unscathed.  
  
"Do you know why I tracked you here Pops?  
Haven't you wondered why I simply didn't just  
leave and go off on my own when you left Jusenkyo?  
I certainly would have been better off."  
  
Father and son circled each other warily, looking for  
any sign of an opening. Ranma had dropped his careless act  
and taken his old fighting stance with a few modifications.  
  
"You're my boy! You'd never desert your old man!!!"  
  
"Hmph. Tell me Pops, does the name Li Zang ring a bell?  
Or how about Kisaragi, Daikokuji, or the other dozen or so  
families that I can name offhand that you swindled? Not  
counting of course the several hundred stores and restaurants  
that you used *ME* as collateral to pay for your debts!"  
  
{Uh oh, looks like he's found out about them.}  
  
"Uh....I can explain!!"  
  
"Oh you're going to be doing a lot more then just telling,  
you're going to be making amends for a LONG time.  
I'll make sure of that."  
  
Genma started to sweat again, this was not good.  
That was enough of a distraction for Ranma to close  
the distance between them before he realized it.  
The fight ended rather quickly after that.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Tendos' curiosity grew as the sounds of a  
scuffle drifted from the Dojo. They could hear some  
shouting and heated conversation but the distance and  
walls of the building in between made the exact words  
the two were saying indecipherable. Several suspicious thumps  
came a few moments later followed by complete silence.  
  
Somehow the absence of sound was worse then the shouting.  
The seconds stretched into minutes, the curiosity of Soun and  
his daughters had just reached its peak when the door slid open.  
  
A smiling Ranma dragged his semiconscious  
father back into the house.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-A little later  
  
"Once again, this is my dear old friend....  
  
"Genma Saotome." The bald, slightly overweight  
martial artist's voice was subdued when he spoke this time.  
  
"And my son....."  
  
"Ranma Saotome. Pleased to meet you."  
  
He smiled politely from his seated position, trying to make a  
good impression. It would make things easier when Ranma  
explained that he couldn't accept the engagment. At least  
that was what the Martial Artist and occasional Savior of the Galaxy  
hoped, he still had a nagging suspicion that stopping this would be  
more difficult then just a simple "no".  
  
None of the girls met his eye, Kasumi was staring down at  
her hands with a slight blush on her rosy face. Nabiki was observing  
her younger sister while occasionally stealing a glance of Ranma,  
trying for the *meek and proper prospective wife* impression.  
Akane was still irked over being ignored earlier and pointedly refused  
to even look in his general direction.  
  
{Oops, have I committed a social blunder?}  
  
Ranma hoped not, his memory of proper Japanese manners was rather fuzzy  
though. The closest thing to it that he `d encountered had been the Bushido  
Federation of the Onis and he doubted that those customs would be well  
received here.(1)  
  
"Ah well then, these are my daughters."  
  
Soun could barely restrain himself as the  
dream that had sustained him through the  
master's training and his wife's death was  
at last being fullfilled. The Schools would  
be joined at last!  
  
"Kasumi, she's nineteen."  
  
"Oh my." Kasumi hoped that she would be picked. Her  
expectations weren't high though, Nabiki or Akane would  
probably be the one chosen since they were so popular.(2)  
  
"Nabiki, she's seventeen."  
  
{Pick me! Pick me!!}  
  
"And Akane, she's sixteen. Pick any one you want  
and she'll be your new fiancee."  
  
"Hmph! You better not choose me!"  
  
Akane finally glared at this guy who she'd probably  
wind up engaged to anyway since neither of her older sisters  
had her good looks. Only Docter Tofu hadn't noticed that she  
was in the full bloom of womanhood and she was working  
on changing that.  
  
"Um...I've got just one question for you Mr. Tendo."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Exactly how drunk were you and  
my father when the two of you made this promise?"  
  
"Uh...." Stammered the mustached father of three.  
  
{How'd he know about that?!}  
  
"I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid I've  
got to refuse your generous offer. See, I never  
agreed to this engagement business  
and Pops..."  
  
A slightly irritated look was shot at the instigater of this mess.  
  
"...well I finally convinced him that I'm not going to  
be the one paying for *his* mistakes."  
  
"What?!!" Of all the responses they'd been expecting,  
this wasn't one of them. Today seemed to be just full of  
surprises for the Tendo family.  
  
"But this is a matter of family honor!!"  
Soun wailed, his dreams crashing  
around him like expensive pottery  
at terminal velocity.  
  
"I don't care. I won't marry because my pitiful excuse   
for a parent thinks I'm some kind of merchandise to bartered away  
to the highest bidder. Hell, if I'd wanted a bride I  
could've gotten hitched a long time ago to any number  
of girls that asked, but I haven't met the right one yet."(3)  
  
{Though not for the lack of them trying...}  
  
The sound of crashing cash registers echoed loudly in Nabiki's head.  
  
{No! No!! NO!!! This can't be happening!! I finally meet  
a prospective fiancee and he's NOT interested in this engagement!?}  
  
Akane's mood improved slightly, at least  
this guy didn't want the engagment too. Although that  
last comment about all the girls chasing him was rubbing a  
few of her nerves the wrong way. The nerve of him!  
What did he think he was?! God's gift to women?!  
  
Kasumi had yet to make a response.  
  
Ranma studied the eldest daughter carefully, he really  
didn't want to hurt anyone but an arranged marriage  
was where he drew the line. So far Kasumi had been  
the only one to make him feel welcome, the tea had  
been just the thing he'd needed after that match with his father.  
He admitted to himself that he probably could let himself  
fall for someone like her. Ranma was sometimes dense but  
he wasn't blind, even covered in that housedress he could tell  
that Kasumi's beauty would be a rare and precious  
treasure once it was revealed. Add that to the mild psychic  
abilities his partner had picked up and the genuine compassion  
he saw in her eyes and you had a woman that made going home  
something to look forward to.(4)  
  
In another time and place, Ranma might have just gone along with   
this engagement nonsense and picked the eldest daughter to live   
happily ever after with. But not here, not now. No girl deserved   
to be put through the chaos that surrounded his life.   
  
He didn't want to one day find out that one of his many enemies   
had killed or even worse captured someone he cared for to use as   
a pawn against him. Ranma had seen it happen to a few other Knights   
before, and it wasn't pretty. Most of them had Fallen, in two cases   
Ranma had been forced to kill the Knights for succumbing to the   
darkness and the madness of revenge when their loved ones had been   
slain. It was one thing to strike down an inhuman monster that you   
knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was evil and deserving of death,   
it was another story entirely to fight against someone who'd you   
called friend and worked alongside mere hours or days before.  
  
Or worse yet,even if by some miracle his spouse  
was able to avoid all the troubles and dangers that  
were as much a part of him as his Cosmic Armor.  
He would still be forced to watch as the girl he   
chose grew old and died while Ranma lived on physically   
unchanged by the years and decades as they rolled ever   
onward long after her remains would crumble into dust.  
  
He wasn't ready for a relationship of that magnitude.  
To expose that much of his soul to another person was  
too much to ask of him. There had been a brief time  
several years ago when he'd thought he was ready to risk   
it, when he'd believed that he might find the closeness  
that his first teachers had found in each other.  
  
But he'd been denied the chance to ever find out.  
  
{Angel...}  
  
The Tendo patriarch was finally coming out of his  
shock as the younger Saotome became lost in deep   
thought. Since tears and pleading hadn't  
worked it was time to switch tactics.  
  
"YOU WILL MARRY ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS  
AND FULLFILL THE PLEDGE BETWEEN OUR SCHOOLS!!!"  
  
Aside from making Ranma wish that Mr. Tendo had paid more  
attention to his oral hygiene the shouting had no effect.  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you saying my daughters aren't good enough for you?!!!"  
  
The first stages of the Dreaded Demon God Of Terror Giant  
Head Attack started to emerge. The older man's eyes started to  
glow like yellow coals as his tongue blackened and forked out  
  
"No, I'm just not going to be forced to marry them."  
  
He tried to keep calm, how many times was he going to  
have to repeat these same words before it sunk in that  
Ranma was NOT going to be pushed into this?  
  
"WHY YOU!!!"  
  
The terrifying image appeared overhead as Soun  
unleashed his ultimate attack to cow the boy into submission.  
This dreaded technique had even defeated the dreaded master,  
a mere teenager didn't stand a chance. The schools would be united by  
noon tomorrow!  
  
Except that this young man's sky blue eyes hardened and returned  
the manifested projected outrage glare for glare.  
  
It was an attack and Ranma treated it like one. Offended pride met  
solid control and unshakeable confidence, the air around him  
chilled as the Knight briefly let a glimpse of the person lying within  
him show in his eyes. For the span of a heartbeat Soun saw a man capable   
of tearing apart titanium steel girders like folder paper and who knew   
exactly what he was capable of and how to use it with deadly precision.   
It was like looking into the eyes of a giant predator, one that was safe   
as long as it was left alone but quite able to make the idiot that   
disturbed him regret it. Ranma had experienced worse things then this   
simple scare tactic, Mr. Tendo would have to do a lot better then that!  
  
Soun was locked in a staring match that would  
determine the decision of the Tendo-Saotome union.  
  
He flinched, unable to meet that overwhelming gaze any longer.  
  
Ranma grinned, there had never been any doubt in his mind  
as to what the outcome would be.  
  
"Won't you please stay for awhile at least?"  
Kasumi finally spoke up.  
  
{Oh no.} That familar sinking feeling was back,  
Ranma swallowed hard as he looked at her  
silently pleading expression.  
  
The region just below his ribs turned to jelly and the young  
knight was suffering the oddest sensations in the vicinity of  
his brain as his logic centers melted.  
  
Common sense lost to big brown eyes.  
  
"Ah...sure, okay."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"He has no backbone when it comes to women."  
  
"You're one to talk, Mr. "Yes Minako-chan, I'll be happy  
to do the cleaning and the cooking"."  
  
"Have you ever tasted my wife's cooking or  
seen a room after she's cleaned it?"  
  
"Uh, no. Actually I can't say that I have."  
  
"Trust me, I love her with all my heart but some  
things are better left alone."  
  
"That bad?"  
  
"I'd rather not say."  
  
"Ah, I see. That bad huh."  
  
"Let's get back to the story."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Actually not that far away  
  
Pantha Zo'a had struck again.  
  
Cutey Honey looked up to see the  
shining full moon hanging overhead and  
as if mocking her a faint image of her  
eternal foe grinned back evilly at the  
lovely warrior.  
  
{"As long as mankind exists, so shall we!"}  
Those were the words Dolmeck had taunted her with.  
  
{"Then I will fight you each time you come back,  
Cutey Honey will not lose!! Even if I have to return  
again and again, I will defeat you!!!" }  
  
She'd lived by that promise ever since she sent Dolmeck and  
Pantha Zo'a back to the Hell that had spawned them. But Evil  
refused to die so easily, instead it took a different route.   
The weakminded and the easily corrupted were first seduced  
by Zo'a's whispered promises then transformed into twisted  
and powerful monsters when they succumbed to the darkness within.  
  
No sooner had the city been freed from a one menace then it  
had found itself threatened by an even more insidious threat  
This night had been just another in a long series of running battles,  
and once again the only real winner had been Panth'a Zo'a.  
Honey could do nothing for the people that had been killed by  
Diamond Tarantula tonight, nor could she say anything that would ease  
the suffering of those who had lost family and loved ones. Even  
when she finally killed the misguided fool that had taken Zo'a's  
offer of power the villain's soul was only sent to the Dimension of  
Darkness to feed the Dark Specter.  
  
Cutey Honey was a Battle Android, the most  
advanced one on the planet.  
  
But even her indomitable spirit was starting to flag as the  
never-ending tide of youma continued to come...  
  
Only a miracle could stop the slow but steady losses the  
forces of Light were taking in this War which could have  
only one eventual conclusion.  
  
But was it already too late?  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Back at the Betting Plane  
  
*WHUMP*  
  
Shadow was the first one to pick himself  
up from the massive group facefault.  
  
"Phaseworld Technology...a CosmoKnight...  
...and now MAGIC TATTOOS?! Are you out of your mind?!!"  
  
The Cosmoknight he was addressing just looked smug.  
  
"Is that even possible?!" The Guardian asked as  
Rowan pulled out his sourcebook.  
  
"I'm afraid so, there's nothing here that says he can't  
get them since Ranma is *technically* still human."  
  
"You're hiding something from us aren't you?"  
  
"Yup." Zora finally answered.  
  
Shadow pulled out his own sourcebook and  
rubbed his eyes, the beginnings of a killer  
headache starting to form.  
  
Surely *THAT* couldn't be legal.  
  
*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) The Kunos would probably be the only ones who'd *like* it.  
  
(2)*Shrugs* She's been working to keep the family in one piece,  
can you blame her for lack of confidence in her ability to catch a guy?  
  
(3)How many of us have used this excuse before? Ranma's not as  
confident with the ladies as he sounds.  
  
(4)If you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about then   
you are obviously too young to be reading this.  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
Ranma sighed as he scrubbed himself in preperation  
for a long hot soak the Tendo's bath.  
  
{How do I wind up in these situations?}  
  
Somehow during that brief period of temporary insanity he'd  
wound up agreeing to stay at the Tendo home as a guest for an  
undetermined length of time. It hadn't helped any that every time  
he'd tried to raise an objection either Kasumi or Nabiki  
had given him that *look*, the one that twisted his tongue around  
into saying "yes" instead of "no". It was just too pathetic,   
after finally getting out of this whole fiancee mess he wound   
up stuck here anyway.  
  
After washing off with a bucket of cold water  
the young man proceeded to enter the bath proper.  
  
A low hiss of pleasure escaped Ranma's lips as he stepped  
into the welcoming warmth, the water starting to relax the  
tension in his muscles that the last few hours had built up.  
  
{At least this isn't too bad, things could be worse.}  
  
[You're hopeless.]  
  
{Ishtar, you're too much of a cynic. Nothing has exploded,   
no assassins are running around trying to cut my head off,   
and the only magic for several miles in any direction is the   
stuff I brought back with me. Trust me, there's nothing to   
worry about.}  
  
[That you know about, you mean.]  
  
{It'll be a piece of cake.}  
  
[So says the man beguiled by a pair of puppy dog eyes.]  
  
{It's not my fault! Dad's the one responsible for this!!}  
  
[Fine, be that way. I'm not jealous. Oh no, I'm just your  
weapon and sometimes partner so I couldn't dream of...]  
  
{Ishtar! It's not like that!! You know I'd free you if-}  
  
[It's okay..I'm sorry Ranma, that was uncalled for. But it's just  
that...]  
  
{I know...believe me, I know. *Sigh* My life's changing so fast that  
I can't get stuck dwelling on everything that goes wrong. Even though  
I came from this world it seems so alien now, I'm not sure if there's  
anyplace that feels like home anymore.}  
  
[The Great Saotome, Pirate Extraordinare and Most Eligible  
Bachelor in six quadrants is feeling sorry for himself? The sky  
must be falling, someone notify the Galactic Inquirer!]  
  
{That's not funny!!}  
  
[Yes it is!]  
  
{No it's not!!}  
  
[Is too!]  
  
{Is not!}  
  
[Is too!]  
  
~~~~~~  
-Phase World, Rifts Earth, Wormwood, and Various Other Places  
  
The same phrase was uttered a thousand different ways in a  
hundred various languages in over a dozen different dimensions.  
But the meaning was always the same,  
"Find Ranma Saotome and kill him!".  
  
Word of the infamous troubleshooter's mysterious  
vanishing act had spread across the Multiverse faster  
then you could say "Spulgorth suck slime" despite the  
best efforts of the Alliance to keep their officer's sudden  
leave of absence a secret.  
  
Needless to say this did not bode well for our hero...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
-Kreeghor Imperial Center  
  
"So the Untamed Stallion is without her captain?"  
  
"Yes, Admiral."  
  
"You've faced the Wild Horse before haven't  
you, Captain Jarenz?"  
  
"I've confronted him sixteen times in the past two years, sir."  
  
"So you feel that you have some insight as to how the man thinks?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Tell me, do you think that the rumors are true  
and that this Rebel has run off to hide in fear?"  
  
"No Sir!"  
  
"Oh? Explain your reasoning Captain."  
  
"Saotome is neither a coward nor a fool. He's   
never lost a battle against our forces or anyone   
else's. He is the enemy but even most of our officers   
hold a grudging respect for his skill, the only man   
that ispossibly his military equal is Captain Tylor   
of the CCW Space Force. If the Wild Horse has indeed  
left this dimension of his own free will it is because  
he is following a higher plan, one that could possibly  
threaten the Empire itself."  
  
"Are you sure of that assessment Captain?"  
  
"I'd stake my life on it."  
  
"Then you will."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Congratulations Captain. You are  
now appointed commander of our Imperial  
Operation Codename: "Broken Mustang" to  
capture Captain Ranma Saotome for his public  
execution by an Imperial Firing Squad.  
Here is where you will meet your Task Force.  
Serve the Empire well."  
  
"As you command Admiral."  
  
{Soon Saotome... You will face the Ironclaw  
again and this time *I* shall be victorious!!!}  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Atlantis  
  
"But Lord Splynncryth has forbidden any direct action against  
the one called Ranma without his personal permisson...NO!!...Please  
have mercy!! AAAAGHHAAAIIIiiiieee..."  
  
*Snap*  
  
The other advisers watched as the tentacled horror that  
they called master proceeded to twist off the head of the  
unfortunate soul that had contradicted him as easily as a normal  
man would twist the cap off a bottle of beer.  
  
Sluggar'n popped the head into its main  
feeding orifice and crunched gruesomely  
down on the tasty tidbit. The rest of the body was  
stuffed in bit by bit, drool and other less savory fluids  
dripped down to coat the corpse and made it easier to  
slide in.  
  
As the Splugorth Intelligence finished its impromptu snack  
it shot a dangerous look at its minions, now minus one.  
  
"Does anyone *else* have an objection to raise?"  
  
The bipeds all shook their heads in negation enthusiastically,  
their vocal cords weren't working at the moment.  
  
"Good."  
  
{Good help is so hard to find, I'll have to remember this loss when I  
finally get my appendges on that cursed do-gooder. He has much  
to answer for...}  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Phase World, The Center  
  
"They won't take it."  
  
"What?! The Galactic Assassin's Guild turned this job DOWN??!!!  
Did they at least say why??"  
  
"Apperently the man has made too many friends in the wrong places.  
The Guild wants no trouble with Justin Tylor or Vash the Stampede,  
let alone the rest of Saotome's allies and contacts. Besides which  
they already tried, apparently after losing nearly three quarters   
of their best agents as well as several of their High Council members they  
decided to cut their losses and run. Ranma is permanantly exempt from  
them. None of the professionals could be persuaded to go after him either,   
they just told me that it couldn't be done."  
  
"Damn! That means we have to use company assets!! Which means  
a loss of revenue!!! Damn that Saotome's hide!!! Why couldn't he die  
cheaply!!!!"  
  
"Shall I contact our people in public relations then?"  
  
"OF COURSE!!! Naruni Enterprises never lets someone who's  
interfered in its deals go!! It's bad for business!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-I send you into Another Dimension  
  
Kasumi was busy in the kitchen preparing the evening meal.   
She was paying even more special attention to the food then   
was normal, even for her. She wanted everything to be perfect   
for their guest...er...guests.  
  
Delicious smells emanated outward as the eldest daughter went all out,  
cooking up a feast that would be able to feed twenty normal people and   
just might be enough for the entire household and the Saotomes.  
  
"A man's heart is won through his stomach.", that was how it  
went in the novels followed by the heroine being taken away for  
steamy passionate...  
  
A slightly dazed gleam filled the cooking girl's eyes.  
One spilled bottle of soysauce later that went all over  
the front of her apron and dress was a reminder that  
now was not the time to be having naughty daydreams.  
  
"Oh dear, what a mess! I need to clean up, it would be rude to meet  
Ranma...um, I mean the Saotomes in this."  
  
In her distraction Kasumi promptly forgot a few things.  
Like the fact that someone else was already using the bath.  
Or that she'd meant to warn her sisters that Ranma was in  
the bath.  
  
Dinner was fine though, nothing short of Demonic Possession  
could cause Kasumi Tendo to ruin a meal.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Upstairs  
  
Nabiki Tendo was scheming.  
  
That was nothing new.  
  
{I have to somehow persuade this hunk that  
I'm his best choice...but how?! Maybe a quick  
soak will clear my head.}  
  
Now this on the other hand...  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Akane was fuming. This wasn't unusual.  
  
"That...that...THAT JERK!!!"  
  
Nor was this.  
  
Her fist smacked into the well worn punching bag as  
she worked off her anger in the Dojo.  
  
Or this.  
  
She'd tried to be nice after it turned out that the Saotomes  
would be staying here for awhile. She'd offering to spar with him  
and see how good of a martial artist (not as good as her of course)  
he was. That BAKA had smiled weakly and...  
  
AND HE'D TURNED HER DOWN!!!  
  
That arrogant, condescending, chauvinistic...BOY!!!  
  
As her anger cooled slighty from the physical extertion  
Akane realized that her stained gi was getting a little...rank.  
  
"I guess I need a bath."  
  
That always helped to relax her. Then  
she could figure out a way to deal with that  
sexist attitude of Ranma's, she would get him  
to fight her even if it killed him!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Watching you from afar  
  
Rowan started counting.  
  
"3. 2. 1...Now."  
  
~~~~~~  
-And we're back  
  
Just as Ranma was toweling off his  
head the door to the bath slid open.  
He was so involved in his telepathic  
argument that he missed it entirely.  
  
Three pairs of female eyes widened.....  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
Captain Rashul "Ironclaw" Jarenz: True Atlantian who commands the  
Imperial Battle Cruiser INS Dark Impaler. He is Saotome's deadliest   
rival in the Three Galaxies and they've clashed repeatedly over the   
years. His nickname comes from his oversized bionic left hand that is   
built to look like a Dragon's talons. The original hand was initially   
in an armored gauntlet until Ranma cut it off during a daring rescue   
misson inside the Impaler. This event left the officer nearly dead from   
blood loss and created a thirst for vengence that has only burned hotter   
as time passed. He's a villian but one with a code of honor. In Rift's   
terms he's got an Aberrant alignment (Lawful Evil for the AD&D people).   
Possesses a fair amount of magical skill and owns an Impaler Rune weapon   
that his ship is named after, both serve to make him extremely dangerous   
to the brave CosmoKnight. The bionic hand is gimmicked too of course.   
Vibroblades and laser fingers make this one hand you do not want to shake!  
  



	11. Chapter 2e: ...No Comment

~~~~~~~  
2e: ...No comment.  
~~~~~~~  
  
-Aboard the Untamed Stallion (Don't you just hate when I do this. -_^)  
  
Communications officer Tania sighed.  
  
She'd been doing that a lot lately for the past three weeks.  
In fact so much so that it was getting on everyone else's nerves.  
  
"Would you stop that!" Commander Ayla snapped at her,  
the metamorphasized Dragon's nerves frayed to the breaking point by  
that constant irritating sound her Elven subordinate made.  
  
The normally perky girl cringed, cowed by this uncharacteristic  
display of temper. Usually Ayla was the very model of  
composure, able to get her point across with a few carefully  
chosen words or a simple stern look that got even the most  
rowdy crew member in line. For her to start behaving this way  
something had to be seriously wrong with her. And they all  
knew what it was, they were all feeling it too.  
  
The force that bound them all together into a unbeatable united team  
was gone, the one that had smoothed over individual rough edges and  
friction and been the very heart of the Untamed Stallion was missing.  
  
Reflexively the pretty blonde turned to look at the Captain's chair,  
a whimsical hope that perhaps he'd be there and everything would go   
back to normal crossing her mind.  
  
The emptiness that greeted her eyes was a cruel one.  
  
Ranma was gone.  
  
Ayla had refused to sit in that seat even though she was now  
the one in command of the ship. It would have felt like a betrayal,  
that seat belonged to only one person, the true captain of the  
Untamed Stallion.  
  
She noticed Tania's glance toward the empty seat  
and her conscience berated her. They were all feeling out  
of sorts, losing her temper did nothing except lower the  
crew's already rock-bottom morale. She had a responsibilty  
to them all, the Captain had left her in charge...Ranma...  
  
{Why? Why did you have to leave?!}  
  
It was a question Ayla had been asking herself constantly as  
every day passed and his absence took its toll on them. Three  
weeks had gone by without any word from him after they had  
taken Ranma to one of the Rim worlds and simply left him there.  
Three quiet, boring, long weeks without even a hint of action to get  
their minds off worrying about their commander. It was driving them  
crazy, things couldn't go on for much longer like this before  
something gave.  
  
The Chiang-Ku was especially worried about Akiko and Yukio. The  
twins had become quiet and withdrawn ever since Saotome had left,  
that was a bad sign. Distracted fighter pilots usually ended up as  
dead pilots. No one else onboard could fly those Katanas as well  
as the Turbo Jockies, so replacement was not an option.  
  
Even if she simply suspended them from flying until  
they snapped out of their funk it would mean cutting their  
fighter strength in half and reduce the Untamed Stallion's  
actual combat strength by nearly a third. Without the Katana Starfighers  
they had only the Black Eagle Medium Fighters to deliver the giant  
antimatter cruise missiles that were one of their most important  
anti-ship weapons.  
  
{Damn it all! We need you Captain...RANMA, WHERE ARE YOU?!}  
  
Finally something broke the strained atmosphere.  
  
*BEEP**BEEP*  
  
"Incoming transmission!"  
  
Tania's alarmed voice was like a shot of highly  
concentrated caffeine, the entire bridge snapped into  
alertness as they took their ready stations.  
  
"Source?"  
  
"Checking now...It's from Fleet Command!"  
  
"The flagship?!" The first officer found herself asking, unable  
to believe it at first.  
  
"Confirmed! Hyperspace squirt from the HopeBringer! Priority 1,  
Condition Red, using the full Antilles encryption package!  
Slicing now..."  
  
{What could they possibly need us for that they'd use a  
Hypertransmission station?! The cost for those are prohibitive!}  
  
As Ayla read the decoded message her eyes widened.  
  
{My Gods! They're actually going to do it??!!!}  
  
"Commander?" Lily looked worriedly at the  
shocked expression on the officer's face.  
  
"Sammy, Bring us about and set course for the Ristmoth System,  
Maximum warp!"  
  
"Acknowledged Commander! Engaging FTL Drive."  
  
The chestnut haired former Imperial Guardsman  
turned helms(wo)man swiftly moved to fulfill the order, her hands  
flashing across the controls that directed the mighty Contragravity  
Engines.(1)  
  
The sleek warship seemed to briefly stretch into infinity as matter  
achieved a velocity faster then Einstein's laws of relativity allowed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Rifts Earth, North America  
  
Janet Braddock was after a man.  
  
Not just any man, but a very special man.  
And as the second in command of a large  
and prominant mercenary company who  
also happened to be the daughter of the  
man who ran the company she usually got  
what she was looking for one way or another.  
  
The fact that the mercs had just been hired  
by Erin Tarn to find the exact same person she  
wanted to find was an unexpected bonus.  
  
{It's time we settled some things Ran. Then I  
need to talk to Daddykins about that "No Dating"  
rule of his.}  
  
Around her neck was a small locket with a  
photograph of the man that had saved Janet's life  
from the psychopathic traitor who'd joined the  
company several years ago. A Braddock never  
left a debt unpaid, no matter what.  
  
A certain pigtailed young man  
was about to get the surprise of his life...  
  
~~~~~  
-Phase World Center  
  
Katrina Sun looked around inside the giant indestructable  
structure known as the "Center" where over ten million  
beings of practically every known race and species could be found  
as they made deals that either made them or broke them.  
Even the Dimensional Market of Splynn  
paled beside this trans-universal business node  
of the Megaverse. Everything one could desire was  
available for sale here, any whim or fancy could be  
satisfied......for the right price.  
  
There were simply no words capable of describing  
the giant bustling chaos that was Center, it was  
an old joke that the only thing harder then seeing  
the Center was surviving it. Crime was not unheard of  
even in the upper levels, the lower levels of Center were  
places only fools and the desperate dared tread. Full scale  
battles between bitter rivals occasionally broke out in the  
many halls despite the Prometheuns attempts to restrict the  
presence of combat robot vehicles and other instruments  
of mass destruction. This was the place for adventure and excitement,  
with danger lying around every corner and potential rewards  
that could boggle the mind.  
  
The Ley Line Walker had no eyes for any of the  
dazzling sights though. After weeks of searching  
she'd finally gotten a lead to Ranma's whereabouts.  
The amnesiac Goddess turned adventurer wasn't  
about to let the most noble man she had ever met  
just walk out of her life without a fight!  
  
Her contact had mentioned the Free World Council,  
now all she had to do was find them.....  
  
{Soon Ranma...}  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Planet Playtex, Headquarters for the Legion of W.A.R.S.  
  
The Lusty Lingerie Amazons were not happy.  
Weeks of searching with their best agents had  
turned up nothing, even their allied cousins from  
the secret world of Victoria had been unable  
to find the one that the legion had been created for.  
  
Ranma Saotome had vanished from the face of the  
Three Galaxies. The 6.4 billion beautiful girls on the planet  
were quite ready to start panicking now.  
  
Their race had originally been solely female, reproducing through a giant  
network of automated cloning machines. Their civilization  
had never even seen a man until the day that the Untamed Stallion  
and the Soyokaze literally stumbled onto their small empire.  
  
Captain Tylor got off lucky, Empress Azalyn had declared him  
to be under her protection. Though they might desire him the  
Amazons were smart enough to know that he was off limits  
for the moment.  
  
Captain Saotome on the other hand...  
  
The scary thing was that they were quite willing  
and even eager to share him. The Lingerie Amazons  
had a saying "Love is something to be enjoyed by all".  
In Ranma's case they meant that literally, especially  
since that meant that the other girls after him would  
be available as well...  
  
They *were* a passionate people after all.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-The Tendo Bath (At last)  
  
Time seemed to grind to a halt.  
  
The screen door inched its way open...  
  
The Tendo daughters carried a small towel  
each and nothing else. Although it was slightly  
unusual for all of them to use the bath at  
once it wasn't unheard of. They had shared  
the facilities on occasion during their childhood.  
So there were no surprises to be found as they  
disrobed and prepared to get nice and clean.  
  
The surprise awaited them in the Bath proper.....  
~~~~~  
  
Ranma dried his hair, he felt much better now.  
Even a jealous Rune Weapon couldn't put a  
damper on his mood, the steaming hot water  
had felt so good.....  
  
His telepathic sparring with Ishtar  
was pretty much on familar ground,  
she was always this way whenever  
he met a girl no matter how nice  
they might be. She was always  
suspicious of them, worrying about the  
vile deeds they might commit upon  
his trusting body. But Ranma now understood  
why she did that. It had surprised him learn  
how deep Ishtar's feelings really were the first  
time they'd touched minds, he'd never  
imagined that she cared that much about him  
  
Ranma had rescued the enslaved Goddess of Light  
from a Splugorth Intelligence that had made the  
fatal mistake of underestimating his newest  
captured experimental subject. Though normally a  
Cosmoknight's morals wouldn't allow Ranma to keep  
a weapon that used the captured soul of another being as  
its source of power he'd found himself being asked...even  
begged by Ishtar to be wielded in the name of all that was Good.  
It was a request he'd been unable to refuse and one he'd  
never regretted accepting. Her psionic and magical talents had  
proven invaluable, with Ishtar's help even the most magically  
gifted opponent could be defeated with a reasonable chance  
of success. Ranma had tried to find a way to free her though, only  
to discover to his horror that although it was possible to destroy a  
supposedly invincible Rune Weapon, doing so meant that the soul of  
the being trapped within it would be forever lost!  
  
So it had remained, with a bond as close as lovers  
between the sentient weapon and the man who  
carried her yet the only way they could ever meet was  
while he slept, within the brief paradise of his deepest  
dreams. It was a bittersweet union between them,  
the one person who the Cosmoknight trusted absolutely  
without reservation was also the only one he could never truly  
be with.  
  
He never heard the door open....  
  
There was a sharp intake of breath as Kasumi,  
Nabiki and Akane were treated to the sight of  
glistening, well toned and very nude prime  
male flesh.  
  
The angle was just right so that they could get good  
looks at both his front and part of his lower rear anatomy.  
  
The term buns of steel suddenly popped into Kasumi's  
head for absolutely no reason whatsoever.  
  
With the towel over his face Ranma couldn't see  
his three unintentional voyeurs and kept on toweling off.  
  
The girls stared long and hard at his well muscled frame,  
their towels dropping unnoticed to the floor. Their gazes  
roamed up and down his exposed body. They noticed  
something almost immediately that had been hidden from  
them before.  
  
Ranma had tattoos.  
  
Nabiki was awestruck by the finely detailed Phoenix arising from  
flames that lay over the young man's heart, it almost looked....alive.  
She wondered what it would taste like.....  
  
It would have shocked her to find Kasumi was wondering the  
exact same thing of the armored knight on Ranma's right shoulder.  
  
Akane's eyes caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a tattoo of three  
eyes just above the inside of his elbow. The other two power tattoos just  
behind Ranma's wrists went unnoticed for the present.(2)  
  
As if by popular vote the three pairs of  
curious eyes descended south of the border...  
  
~~~~~~  
-We interrupt this scene for the following announcement  
  
*CENSORED!!!*  
  
"HEY!" The female participants cried as the large  
black dot appeared to cover the entire scene.  
  
"Sorry folks, we're not allowed  
to show this in the mainstream."  
The Bard had his best used car salesman act on.  
  
"Thank goodness." Shadow whispered  
to the Guardian who nodded in agreement.  
  
Rowan hit the fast forward.  
  
Zora just smiled, a mischievous gleam in her eye.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Too bad, you missed it.  
  
{MINE!!!} Nabiki's first rational thought was  
almost violent in its intensity.  
  
{EEP!!!} As if transfixed by a cobra Akane's wide eyed  
stare fixed on a particular portion of Ranma's body.  
her mouth kept opening like a fish out of water and  
about as much came out. Her face was threatening to  
explode from all the blood rushing into her cheeks.  
  
{Oh my....this is most improper...I shouldn't be  
doing this........I'll just turn around and....  
turn around....turn....and....um....another minute shouldn't hurt.}  
  
Kasumi found herself unable to tear her eyes away.  
  
Just as things were about to get interesting Akane noticed  
her older sister starting to head toward Ranma with a eerie  
determined gleam in her eye and panicked. Her arms reached  
out to snag both of the other girls and yanked them back to the  
safety that lay behind the doorway before slamming the door  
shut.  
  
*BANG*  
  
"Huh?" Ranma looked toward the doorway after removing the towel,  
he thought he'd heard someone. But there wasn't anyone there....  
  
{What was that all about?}  
  
[*Snicker* Looks like someone just got a free peep show to me.]  
  
{What?!}  
  
He couldn't get another answer out of her,  
Ishtar was too busy laughing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Elsewhere in the house  
  
Genma and Soun were plotting.(3)  
  
"Genma! The houses MUST be joined!!"  
  
"I know old friend, but the boy is stubborn. We can't  
simply force him into this, somehow he's become too  
strong and independent for such measures. We need a  
subtle plan to make him marry one of your daughters.  
By the way who is going to marry him anyway?"  
  
"Uh...."  
  
{Think of something Soun!}  
  
"Akane! Yes Akane shall marry him!! He's a martial artist,  
she's a martial artist, it's a match made with heaven's blessings!!"  
  
Common Sense groaned in disgust and went off to sulk.  
  
"Well then all we need to do is get them  
together and let Nature take its course!"  
  
"Alright then!! It's Soun and Genma's..."  
  
They shouted out together much to the dismay of the neighbors.  
  
"....Operation: Get Them Hitched!!!"  
~~~~~~~  
-Where Real-Space and Other-Space Meet  
  
The Cosmic Forge lay hidden, always  
watching but never interfering directly.  
  
Right now it was having a good laugh, even  
ultra powerful nearly omniscient artifacts have  
a sense of humor. Its chosen one just seemed  
to attract chaos wherever he went. But of all the  
beings that it had selected over countless millennia, this  
boy Ranma had come the closest to achieving the necessary  
qualities that the Forge had been searching for. The Knights  
were a test, they had been given the first hints of the gift  
but all had never been able to move on to the next step.  
After so many failures the ancient creation was starting to  
dispair of ever being able to find  
the One, but now...  
  
For the first time in nearly a millennia the Forge knew hope. This  
chosen one had constantly pushed the boundries of his gift and  
discovered new ways to use it, ways that went beyond anything  
any other Cosmoknight had been ever able to achieve. Right now  
he was at cruical point, if he was able to actually take the next step  
to the level beyond...  
  
The Cosmic Forge, Guardian of the Three Galaxies  
laughed...  
  
...and prayed.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Somewhere  
  
Ryoga the donkey was running as  
if the entire population of the Nine  
Hells were after him.  
  
"Git back here Bessie! I got needs to be relieved!!!"  
  
If anything Ryoga ran faster after hearing that.  
Bad enough being used as a pack animal but that...  
  
That was a fate worst then death!!!!  
  
{DAMN YOU RANMA!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!}  
  
Ryoga kept on running long after he lost the grizzly  
old man that was chasing him. He didn't pay any  
attention to where he was going  
  
Say, didn't that bunch of pools up ahead look familar?  
  
That stray thought took awhile to get the occupied jackass's attention.  
  
{AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!}  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
It was going to be a long night.  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) Contragravity involves using anti-graviton particles to  
neutralize the effects of gravity on an object. This technology  
is the basis for anti-gravity systems and the primary method  
for achieving speeds greater then light.  
  
(2) Tattoo Magic: each tattoo can be activated to give  
Ranma a specific power for a limited amount of time.  
All use up a lot of power since Ranma has to pay twice the  
amount of energy they normally require because he has only  
five tattoos.  
  
(Chest)Phoenix arising from flames: Super Healing &  
Resurrection(Restricted)  
-Can heal moderate to severe wounds to self or others.  
Unfortunately healing tends to use up a *lot* of energy.  
-SEVERE energy cost  
  
-Can also revive a person who has been dead for no more then six hours, but  
doing so requires the tattoo bearer to permanently sacrifice a part of  
their lifeforce and power in the process. *Very* costly to activate.  
-EXTREME energy cost   
  
(Shoulder)Knight in Armor: Magical Armor  
-Chosen armor style is chainmail, the armor *is* transparent.  
-Average level protection  
-Moderate energy cost  
  
Three Eyes within a Pyramid: *Special* Enhanced Supernatural Vision  
(Includes see invisible & detect magic)(Behind wrist)  
-Moderate energy cost  
  
Heart in Chains: Limited Invincibility (Ditto)  
-Magical Blue Aura that absorbs most damage, aura gets  
dimmer as the protection fades.  
-Decent level of protection  
-Medium energy cost  
  
Eye between two lines with Rune Mark:  
*Special* Mage Sight(Able to recognize all magical  
items and symbols plus can also use scrolls)  
-Moderate energy cost  
  
(3) You didn't really think they'd give up that easily did you?  



	12. Chapter 2f: Moonlit Interlude

  
~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 2f: ...Moonlit Interlude.  
~~~~~~~~  
  
-Tendo Guest Room  
  
{Unfamilar ceiling.}  
  
Ranma lay on his futon looking up  
at nothing in particular, only the light  
background noises of the Japanese  
suburbs at night and the chirping of  
some tenacious crickets broke the  
quiet stillness of the late hour.  
  
Sleep eluded him. Not that he  
really needed it, but there was no  
sense in exerting himself until he   
needed to.  
  
[Still awake?]  
  
{Yeah, guess I`m still too used to feeling the rhythm  
of Untamed Stallion's engines. At least in China I could  
gaze up at the stars, it's just too quiet here.}  
  
[It has been quite a day.]  
  
{You can say that again.}  
  
[Something is still bothering me though.]  
  
{What is it?}  
  
[It's...a feeling. Are you sure there's no magic  
around here? You didn't try an active scan and  
with enough shields even a half-rate mage can block  
a passive search. I could do a quick check now if you want.]  
  
{It would give our presence to any sensitive  
that might be in the city though. While I highly  
doubt there's anyone with even a moderate  
amount of magical talent on this world I'd be  
willing to wager that there's at least the   
possibilty of some fairly competent psychics   
around. I'd rather wait until any evidence turns   
up before dropping the element of surprise.   
Besides, you worry too much.}  
  
[And you don't worry enough!]  
  
Ishtar's concern was mixed with exasperation,  
if she could have she would have pulled out a  
blunt instrument and beat some sense into that  
thick head of Ranma's. As the weapon was locked  
inside of Ranma's suitcase at the moment she had to  
settle with simply berating him instead.  
  
[You dolt!]  
  
{Well, I was kinda curious about everyone's  
behavior during dinner....}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-We are watching you  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Uh...nothing!" The Bard quickly  
ditched his dirty bootlegged copy of the  
future plot devices in this Private Bet.  
  
Shadow shot a probing glance at him, still  
suspicious of the fast talking rogue musician.  
  
"By the way Bard, I've been meaning to ask you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What the heck's your real name anyway?!!  
I'm getting sick and tired of having to   
always call you the Bard!!!"  
  
"Uh....it's kinda embarrassing actually...."  
  
"Spill it."  
  
"Bar*mumble*mumble*"  
  
"What?! Speak up!"  
  
"It's BarthalamuDraconiousfranchesicabobescacalifradalisticexpialidocious the Third."  
  
"Good grief!"  
  
"So now you see why I prefer being just called the Bard."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
*Insert a Flashback sequence intro here*  
  
Dinner had been uneventful. Mostly.  
  
"This sukiyaki is delicious Kasumi! The beef is  
so tender and sweet! You can really sink  
your teeth into the meat, it's really good!"  
  
For some reason Ranma couldn't understand  
all three of the Tendo girls had turned beet red  
after hearing that. This was the best food he'd  
had since leaving the ship!  
  
Things got even weirder after he asked Akane  
for some sweet buns. She'd nearly choked on  
her drink, but when he had asked what was  
wrong she said that she was fine.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Genma had decided to steal his son's food  
under the guise of training. The fact that the boy  
had actually taken normal sized servings didn't  
go unnoticed, the older man lamented about this  
obvious slacking off from the Founding Principles  
of the Anything Goes School. He would have to  
start teaching the boy all over again.  
  
When Ranma's attention was focused elsewhere  
Genma's chopsticks struck out for a pickle.  
  
*Snip*  
  
With a self satisfied smirk the glutton prepared  
to claim the prize.  
  
Then he looked down.  
  
Never taking his eyes off of Kasumi who was  
questioning him about China, Ranma allowed   
himself a small smile.  
  
Genma stared dumbly at the cleanly sheared ends of his  
once much longer pair of chopsticks. Then he looked  
at Ranma, the boy appeared to not have even noticed.  
  
Genma couldn't understand it so after getting  
another pair he tried again. This time Ranma's  
head was turned as he passed some fishcake to Nabiki.  
  
Again the master food thief made his attack.  
  
*Snip*  
  
Once again he pulled back two little wooden stubs.  
  
{How'd he do that?!!}  
  
A cowed Genma decided that discretion was the  
better part of valor and for once in his life actually  
ate with what passed for manners. Something was  
definitely wrong with the boy.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Nabiki Tendo had finally regained her  
composure and self control after  
a very cold shower. Her natural  
tendency to question things was  
returning to her as the multiple  
overwelming shocks to her system  
she'd received ever since Ranma  
had arrived had started to wear off.  
  
Several nagging doubts had popped  
up ever since she'd had a chance to think  
rationally about this engagement and more  
importantly about their potential fiancee.  
  
With great effort the infamous "Ice Queen"  
of Furinkan pushed away the effects of  
that free show she'd gotten. She couldn't let silly  
hormones influence her judgment at a time like this.  
  
Nabiki's eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the  
friendly but rather quiet young man.  
  
He was too good to be true. There had to be a  
catch here somewhere, unless this guy was an  
absolute saint he was hiding something. A  
disturbing possibility occurred her.  
  
{Say...we never did find out if he was cursed like   
his father! What if he turns into a little black   
pig?! Or a white duck! Or a yeti riding a bull with   
a crane and eel! Or worst of all, a buxom young GIRL!!}  
  
The middle Tendo daughter wanted to bang her  
head against the table for missing such an obvious  
thing like that, was she really that hard up for a date?!  
  
This mistake would have to be remedied.  
  
{No time like the present to find out.}  
  
"Say Ranma...."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Oops...."  
  
Nabiki *accidently* knocked over her glass of water.  
  
Somehow Ranma was in the water's path  
as it started to fall but he wasn't there when it hit.  
  
*Splash*  
  
"NABIKI!"  
  
"Sorry Akane."  
  
{Damn. Missed!}  
  
She'd have to wait for another oppertunity. Not now,  
but when his guard was down. How hard could it be?  
  
~~~~~  
  
Akane excused herself to dry off. In the bathroom  
she started banging her head against the wall while chanting  
"I hate boys, I hate boys, I hate boys..."  
  
It had been a mistake to peep on Ranma.  
She felt like a complete pervert. If he ever found  
out about that she'd just die from complete embarrassment  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Um...Ranma?"  
  
"Yes Kasumi?"  
  
"Do you...I mean...do..." She  
faltered, unable to complete  
her question.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Are you...cursed in any way like your father?"  
  
There, she'd said it. Contrary to some people's  
belief Kasumi was not stupid, nor was she on a high  
prescription of Valium. It would have surprised her family  
to find out that their dear sweet innocent housekeeper  
possessed a mental acuity that rivaled Nabiki's. She simply  
utilized it differently. Kasumi had become something of a  
minor legend in the marketplace for her ability to get the  
lowest prices no matter where she shopped. Her aura  
of niceness combined with a intelligence that few expected  
from such a seemingly normal girl never failed to get a discount.  
  
{Oh boy...}  
  
Now, how to answer that without actually lying...  
  
"Um...well I don't a have a Jusenkyo curse if that's what you mean."  
  
Nabiki and Kasumi both caught the implied   
"but" at the end of that statement.  
  
{What is he hiding!?}  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
In the Guest Room a large shape turned slightly to observe  
a second smaller one that lay only a few feet away.  
  
A careful glance revealed Ranma was not moving,  
his chest rising and falling with the evenness   
of someone fast asleep.(1)  
  
With a sneakiness that came from long practice  
a giant lump inched its way out.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Genma scratched the kerchief on his head as he  
read some of the stickers plastered all over the  
innocous gray case.  
  
`Hug a Pikachu!'  
  
`Wendy Rider Concert Live!'  
  
`Be nice to Wookies! Or else they'll rip your arms out!.  
  
There were also several luggage stamps. Yavin IV, Lazlo,  
Melva, Pern, New Hope and several other places were  
listed. A large sweatdrop had developed behind Genma's  
head by this time, this was beyond odd and heading straight  
into downright bizarre.  
  
But he could smell an opportunity for profit a mile away.  
  
During their training journey Ranma had only one small traveling  
pack of supplies and personal belongings. So naturally Genma was  
*ahem* curious as to what was in these two rather large pieces of  
luggage. The boy wouldn't mind, surely a small trinket or two  
was for him. He'd just take it early and save his son the trouble...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
{Quiet Night.}  
  
[Quiet Night.]  
  
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTTZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP!!!!!*  
  
[What's that?!]  
  
{Sounds like Pops discovered the anti-theft mazor in my suitcase.}  
  
[A microwave taser? Where did you find it?]  
  
{Traded a Flame-blade for it at that little shop in Perv, works great too.  
As effective as an electrical stun gun without the risk of fatality.}  
  
[Ewww...it smells like roast pork over here!]  
  
*Sweatdrop*  
  
{Sorry about that, it does tend to leave the victim a little crispy.}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Up the stairs and down the hall we go  
  
Kasumi slept alone.  
With any luck that would soon change.  
  
{He seems like such a nice young man. I wish...}  
  
A smile lit her peaceful slumber.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nabiki Tendo was suffering the agony of indecision.  
  
{Do I or don't I? Argghh!!! I can't decide!!!}  
  
Was the risk really worth it? Should she just try to use  
him or did she dare to go for the big jackpot?  
  
The whimpering coming from downstairs wasn't helping either.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Akane couldn't sleep a wink. Every time she closed her  
eyes...IT appeared. The scene from the bath continued to haunt her,  
every inch of Ranma's body seemed to have etched its way into her  
memory...  
  
{I am not a pervert!!!}  
  
Now if only she could believe her own declaration.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Not quite far enough  
  
Sailor Mars paused for a moment.  
Just a minute ago she'd felt a presence  
brush past her. It looked like their quarry was  
on to them...  
  
~~~~  
  
Yohko looked out at the bright moon from  
the hotel balcony. She was going with  
Mrs Saotome to meet her future fiancee.  
  
{I hope he's cute.}  
  
Admittedly she'd been reserved at first  
about this whole business. But Aunty Nodoka could  
be very persuasive when she wanted to and anyway Devil  
Hunting was a lousy way to meet guys. They either got  
killed or tried to kill her. Plus most people thought  
she was just plain weird, but Mrs Saotome had actually  
been delighted with her combat skill. If this Ranma  
guy was even a tenth as good as his mother said he was  
she'd take him!  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Belldandy finished her wards, the entire shrine was now  
shielded enough to withstand anything short of Ragnarok.  
  
No matter what happened Keiichi would be safe.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Ranma was almost about to fall asleep when an urgent  
buzzing in his mind awakened him.  
  
[Ranma!]  
  
{Wha? Huh??}  
  
[Remember what you said about there being no traces of magic around?]  
  
{Yeah?}  
  
[Well get a load of this!]  
  
The sentinent weapon opened the link between them fully  
to let Ranma "see" what she'd just picked up.  
  
It was one heck of a nasty surprise.  
  
{Impossible! Those sources weren't  
there earlier!!}  
  
[So what do we do?]  
  
{We wait till tomorrow then start looking. Ishtar...}  
  
[Yes?]  
  
{I've got a bad feeling about this.}  
  
[Join the club.]  
  
~~~~~~  
  
(End Chapter II) 


	13. Chapter 3a: The roll of the dice

Private Bet #10: Chapter III: Opening Moves  
by Shade  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 and affiliates are the  
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Rifts and  
Phase World are owned by Palladium. Other  
references belong to their respective owners.  
~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3a: The roll of the dice  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tsunami, Goddess of the Planet Jurai and the  
most powerful battleship in her Universe rested  
inside the safety of quantum space, hidden from  
the prying eyes that coveted her. Her connection  
with Princess Sasami provided the powerful entity  
with all the outside information she needed without  
the need to reveal her presence. Lately Tsunami's  
thoughts had been troubled, there was discord   
forming between her chosen champion and the current   
ruler of Jurai. Although Tenchi bore no ill will toward   
the Emporer, the same could not be said of Azusa.   
Despite his wive's best efforts he seemed bound and   
determined to make the Masaki boy's life a living hell.   
Steps needed to be taken to put a stop to that.  
  
This newest complication might make things even more difficult.  
Now was the worst time for interdimensional meddling to occur.  
But who was responsible for it? It was unlikely Tokemi would try such  
a risky gambit, her sister preferred to use her pawns much more  
calculatingly despite her role as a Goddess of Chaos. Washu could  
possibly attempt to summon one of her old allies but so far it seemed  
that the scientist remained unaware of her divine origin although she  
too had selected her champion.  
  
Champion...  
  
Could this be...Tokemi's chosen one?!!  
  
If so, then this situation was more serious then any of them  
realized! While Tokemi would not waste such resources on  
a paltry minion, her champion was an entirely different story!!  
  
Tenchi wasn't ready yet. Even the formidable powers of  
the others would not be enough, not against Tokemi's champion  
if indeed as the Goddess feared it was. It made chillingly perfect sense  
to dispatch both of their chosen before they could master their powers.  
Something so logical that Tokemi would do it in a moment.  
  
They would need help. A warning in Sasami's dreams should  
be enough to alert the household while she arranged  
a few things elsewhere.  
  
Tsunami set her plan into action at once.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-A Familiar Face  
  
In the vast emptiness of deep space Minagi's spaceship Hinase  
patrolled in search of evildoers to steal from. Following in her  
sister Ryoko's footsteps the cheerful swordswoman had chosen  
the life of a space pirate, though she only only preyed on  
bad people. Minagi was a good friend of the Masaki Household,  
her physical features were identical to Ryoko except for two old  
sword scars, one on each cheek given to her by her father Yakage.  
But her personality was more like Mihoshi's, lighthearted and carefree.  
  
A beeping from the main console caught her eye.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
{We're near the Sol System!? I haven't   
visited them for the longest time!}  
  
"Hinase!"  
  
"You called, Minagi?"  
  
"Set course for Earth!"  
  
"Yes ma'am!"  
  
A faint reflection on the viewing screen  
that might have been a beautiful woman with  
turquoise hair smiled and vanished.  
  
Phase one was complete. Now for phase two.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Spay your Pets  
  
Nagi was not happy.  
And for once it wasn't Ryoko's fault.  
Well actually in a way it was partially Ryoko's fault,  
if only she didn't have that damn...  
  
"Ciao!"  
  
"For the last time NO!!!"  
  
"Ciao!!"  
  
"Absolutely not!! You don't know where she's been!  
You'll probably catch a disease from that furball!"  
  
"CIAO!!!"  
  
"How about a carrot instead?"  
  
"Ciao!! Ciao!!!"  
  
"You're turning down a carrot!? Are you feeling alright?!"  
  
"Ciao!! Ciiiaaaaooo!!!"  
  
"Stop that!"  
  
The ship's caterwauling continued unabated.  
Nagi tried to harden her heart to Ken-ohki's  
pleading, if she went to Earth she'd have to  
go after Ryoko again. Not that she'd ever  
admit it but in her hearts of hearts the bounty   
hunter had developed a grudging respect for the   
one person who had ever escaped her time after   
time. An unoffical truce had finally developed   
between them, As long as Ryoko didn't leave the   
Sol System Nagi left her alone with that boy of hers.   
Part of the reason behind that was the current   
problem, their cabbit partners were in love with   
each other. If either owner killed or seriously wounded   
the other the consquences could be...bad. Best to   
put as much space between herself and Ryoko as   
possible to avoid any unnecessary temptation.  
  
"Ciiiiiiiaaaaaaaoooooo!!!"  
  
But she couldn't go like this. Day in and day out, the endless  
begging and wailing...  
  
"All right!!! You win! We'll go visit your girlfriend already!!  
Just...Stop that racket!!!"  
  
"CIAO!"  
  
Tsunami nodded her head as she faded away from  
the top of the rapidly departing vessel. Sometimes a  
little push in the right direction was all that was needed.  
  
Black Bishop takes White Rook.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Rei was not in a good mood. A visible dark aura of doom and  
destruction seemed to hang over her bent head.  
  
Nervously Makoto and Ami snuck occasional  
worried glances at their friend. The recent nightly patrols  
had been hard on all of them. For weeks they'd been  
keeping an eye on the city, but aside from the rare mugger  
or burgler their efforts had come up with zilch so far.  
There hadn't even been any of the youma attacks that usually  
preluded the entrance of a new supervillain. Tempers were  
wearing thin from having to be at a constant state of readiness  
even though they now only had two or three of the Senshi  
patrolling a night, Inners and Outers included. But Setsuna  
insisted that they keep on their guard, so they continued  
remaining on alert despite their mounting doubts about the accuracy of  
her warning. Surely if whatever it was was so dangerous they would  
have seen some sign of it by now?  
  
"Waaah! I can't believe it! I actually woke up on time today!"  
  
A pair of familar blonde meatballs bobbed into view as Usagi joined  
her friends with lunch in one hand and her schoolbag in the other.  
  
The part time Shinto priestess merely growled in reply.  
  
"What's with Rei?" Usagi asked, puzzled by this  
odd behavior, normally her friend was more vocal then that.  
She missed the frantic waving and desperate shaking of heads as  
the others tried to warn her. Too late...  
  
"I DIDN'T GET ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT OKAY!!!"  
  
Flames billowed forth from the Giant Demon Head Attack.  
  
"WAAAAAHH!! She's scary!!!"  
  
The others didn't think any less of their leader for her panicked  
reaction to Rei's explosion. She DID look scary at the moment.  
Besides if they made any noise she might notice *them* instead  
of focusing on Usagi. Okay, so it wasn't a particularly noble  
choice. But they still weren't about to try and interrupt her  
unless their friend tried something drastic.  
  
Rei Hino was normally a quiet, demure, peaceful maiden.  
And anyone else that dared say otherwise quickly learned  
the error of their ways. She didn't have a Black Belt in  
Karate for nothing!  
  
But the visions that sometimes came to her, the ones that had more  
often then not had proven right and aided her and the other Senshi in  
their battles against Evil had been particularly bad the past night after  
she'd finished her patrol.  
  
No sooner had she closed her eyes to get some rest then her mind was  
bombarded with scattered random images that didn't make any  
sense to her at all.The surreal vividness of the few psychic fragments  
she'd received were so clear that even now she could remember  
practically every detail of the visions...  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
The first dream had been the worst.  
  
A Darkness where no light shown, cold as the grave  
and worst of all, totally devoid of all existance. No surface met  
her feet yet she did not fall. Too dark to see, too quiet to hear,  
no substance to touch. It was like being dead except she knew  
she was not for even death was this, this...Void...  
  
Rei had screamed herself awake. It took her several minutes to calm  
down enough to lie back down.  
  
The second dream brought only more questions then it did answers.  
  
Warmth, hidden from view yet comforting to the soul. A sense  
of purpose that brightened her surroundings to reveal a shining white  
crystal about the size of a human heart. Not the Silver Imperium  
Crystal, it did not emit the same sense of power she associated with it,  
this was different somehow. A strength that was both less and more ran  
through the very core of the dazzling object that seemed to burn with a  
pure inner flame of its own. But as she reached out to touch it...  
  
Try as she might she could remember no further what had  
happened until she awoke again.  
  
The third vision had been frightening, fears long   
lost in the rebirth of the Senshi had been revived.  
  
Green fires of envy and jealousy reaching out to envelop and  
consume the world and all within it. Among the faces of the  
dead had been her own, while a horrifyingly familiar laugh had  
roared triumphant...  
  
But it was the last one that had haunted her thoughts till dawn  
had banished the ghostly phantoms.  
  
A sense of deep loss...Swirling drops of twilight upon the   
clear canvas of the Heavens...Two stallions standing over a   
Moonlit pond...One dark, the other as silver as the moon...  
A single tear falling, the silver droplet bright as the full   
moon as a burst of scarlet sprouted forth from one of the two...  
As she met their gaze...Those eyes...she could not forget those   
eyes...*his* eyes...  
  
The same sequence had repeated over and over again throughout the  
night and into the earliest hours of morning.  
  
By the time Rei had to get ready for school she was a wreck, the drain  
on her internal strength and sheer physical exhaustion leaving her with a  
serious case of industrial strength Crankiness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"GET BACK HERE MEATBALL HEAD!!!"  
  
"No way! Baggy Eyes are contagious!! Bieee!!!"  
  
The Japanese Red Eye was presented. (1)  
  
"Grrrrr!!!"  
  
A chase ensued between the two.  
  
With large sweatdrops behind their heads the other three  
girls watched as their dear (but rather embarrassing at   
times like this) friends vanished in a trail of dust.  
  
Ami turned toward Minako and Makoto hesitatingly.  
  
"Ah...Should we try and stop them?"   
  
"Are you out of your mind!?"  
  
They looked at her as if she'd grown a third eye and  
said they should join a convent of nuns. Not even Makoto,   
the strongest out of all the Senshi got in the Hino girl's  
way when she was in one of her *moods*.  
  
"I guess that was a silly question."  
  
White Queen moves to block Black Pawn.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Masaki Household  
  
"Minagi!!"  
  
A delighted Sasami enveloped the cyan-haired space pirate  
with a enthusiastic hug.  
  
"You're just in time for breakfast!"  
  
"That's great! Your meals are the best in the Universe, Sasami!"  
  
"Ah, Welcome back Minagi."  
  
From the open door in the stairway a familar crab haired  
figure stepped out.  
  
"Miss Washu!"  
  
"Ahem...that's Little Washu."  
  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
The loud male scream coming from upstairs indicated that  
Tenchi was now up, the explosion that came a split second later  
also meant that Aykea was now awake and not pleased to see how  
Lord Tenchi had been roused from his slumber.  
  
The rest of the household was already digging in, they were  
getting used to it by now. Mihoshi waved hello to Minagi before  
getting another helping of pickles. Kiyone blinked and sweatdropped,  
just what she needed to deal with, another Ryoko. Noboyuki smiled  
as he saw that another one of the pretty space ladies had returned,  
maybe his son would finally choose one of them! An unlikely event  
but still, he kept hoping anyway. Washu sat herself down and dug into  
Sasami's heavenly cooking, she amused herself by calculating the exact  
moment when things should reach critical mass.  
  
Right about...now.  
  
"Yaaaahh!!!" The heir apparent to the royal  
house of Jurai came flying down to make a spectacular  
crash landing at the base of the stairway followed by a  
few stray chips of wood that had once been the  
door to his room.  
  
{I am such a Genius!}  
  
"Good morning Tenchi! Breakfast is ready!"  
  
"Morning Sasami." Tenchi pried himself out of the floor  
and and then did a quick double take as he saw Ryoko  
smiling in front of him.  
  
Wait a second.  
  
"Oh! Minagi! You startled me for a second, I  
thought you were..."  
  
Shouting from above interrupted him.  
  
"Now you royal pain in the butt, prepare to pay!!!"  
  
"Begone Demon Woman!"  
  
Energy fire and electrical forcefields clashed and  
resulted in yet another devaluation of property values.  
  
Tenchi winced. Bad enough that they were fighting yet again,  
but why did they have to do it in the house?!  
  
"Nice to see you again Tenchi. I just popped by for  
a little visit. Is that all right?"  
  
"Sure, feel free to stay as long as you like."  
  
At least Minagi didn't blow the house up...at least not since  
that time she'd tried to kill Ryoko and Tenchi. But almost   
everyone tried that at least once so he didn't hold it against   
her.  
  
{Mmmm...the grilled fish seems especially tasty this morning.}  
  
Tenchi realized that he was starving, being the unintended  
victim of multiple acts of random violence was hungry work.  
He'd have to eat fast if he wanted to get to school on time.  
  
"That's the spirit my boy! You can never have too many  
pretty ladies around, why when I was your age..."  
  
"Dad!!"  
  
"Mihoshi, can you take me to the market to pick up some  
chicken for tonight's dinner?"  
  
"Sure!" The eternally cheerful detective giggled,  
of all the adults there only she and Noboyuki had  
a driver's license. Since the architect had to work that  
left Mihoshi in charge of ground transportation.  
  
A fact that gave her partner Kiyone the chills every  
time she thought about it. It flew in the face of all  
reason that the ditz of all people had managed to acquire  
the one thing that she'd failed to pass the exam for.  
  
"I think I'll go with you."  
  
{Just in case.}  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Black Knight takes White Bishop.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma Saotome awoke at the crack of dawn.  
  
A glance to his right revealed that Genma  
would probably be sleeping for a while. The  
old man looked rather charred, apparently  
instead of doing the smart thing and letting go after  
the mazor had zapped him the first time Pops had  
instead tried to smash the lock open.  
  
Unfortunately the case's built in defenses   
had reacted a bit more severely to that...  
  
Well...Genma was still breathing so it looked like no  
permanent damage had been done. The scorch marks would fade  
away eventually and it wasn't like he needed all that smelly fur  
anyway.  
  
{At least I'll have some privacy this morning.}  
  
Ranma mused as he quietly slipped out of the guest room  
and headed to the Dojo to unpack and train without interruption.  
  
He had a feeling that he was going to need every minute of it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Retina and DNA scans passed.  
  
With a small hiss of escaping air the pressure seals opened.  
  
His time in space had taught him to appreciate the  
advantages of high tech, especially while traveling.  
When it came to keeping his personal belongings in one  
piece through even the roughest of conditions Advanced  
Micro-tech was the only way to go. This particular model   
of luggage was from Bushido Industries and cost a small  
fortune with the advanced security upgrades package.  
  
Credits well spent since the cargo inside was  
priceless by any standards.  
  
[It's about time you got me out of that stuffy case!]  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
With the greatest of care Ranma removed Ishtar from  
the fine white silk that covered the shining instrument of  
Light. As always the sheer unearthly beauty of the  
Greatest Rune Weapon's lines took his breath away,  
the Spulgorth were sadistic alien bastards but he had to  
admit that their preference in fine craftsmanship was  
unmatched. Only the foulest beings could take such a  
work of art and pervert it into such a damnable prison  
for a living soul.  
  
He made a few practice swings, Ishtar seemed to fit  
his hand as if she were made for him. The only time Ranma  
had felt something similar to this sense of rightness was when  
he summoned his Cosmic Weapon. It was a mystery that he'd  
just accepted as being real enough. Besides, what did he have  
to complain about?  
  
[Yes!]  
  
Pure unadultrated sensation filled the  
trapped psyche with sweet bliss.  
  
Physical contact took the psychic bond between  
weapon and wielder to a whole new level.  
  
While they could communicate with each other  
up to three miles apart, aside from advice and information  
there was not much else that Ishtar could do when she was  
seperated from him.  
  
But once Ranma had her in hand the two became as one.  
As long as he held Ishtar the Goddess's formidable  
defenses protected him and gave him access to some  
badly needed special abilities that helped balance out the  
Cosmoknight's formidable fighting strength. In a sense  
Ishtar became a second set of eyes and ears that watched  
Ranma's back. She felt what he felt, knew what he knew,  
and in return for this gift the imprisoned soul was able   
to get a taste, no matter how brief, of feeling.  
  
There was no greater reward for one doomed to  
exist in a eternal limbo.  
  
When she had existed free of the captivity that now chained her the  
dusky divinity had been a patron of nature and healing, under her  
tutelage Ranma had discovered a new joy in creating life instead of  
destroying it. Though her powers were bound within the cursed core  
of the metal and crystal cage that held her entrapped like a fly in  
amber, he could still carry on her work and did so willingly.  
  
Though Ranma didn't use use her as often  
as she wanted him to, the weapon didn't begrudge  
him for it.  
  
She knew and understood his reasons, Rune Weapons  
were the most coveted magical artifacts in existance.  
Wars had been fought and Empires crumbled over the  
possession of these legendary indestructible tools of  
power. Probably the one thing that was most responsible  
for the weapons' notoriety was the whispered ability of the  
most powerful and corrupt blades. Soul Drinking, the weapon  
literally tearing out the helpless spirit of the victim and   
devouring it, destroying them forever. The slightest scratch   
from such a Rune Weapon could prove lethal, all that was needed   
was a single drop of blood to be spilt and it would all be over.  
  
Fortunately that was not one of Ishtar's properties, such an  
abomination was completely against her nature. That hadn't  
stopped the fools from across the Megaverse who'd tried to steal  
her from Ranma though. But once bonded, only death could  
severe the link forged between them. No one else could use her,  
not even those pure of heart, Ishtar was his alone. And woe to  
the one who tried to seperate the two!  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
[Heavenly.]  
  
She gave a warm mental purr of contentment.  
  
[By the way...why the sudden change? Not that I'm complaining  
mind you...but I thought the reason you kept me in there with the rest  
of your gear was to keep the presence of so much supernatural energy to a  
minimum?]  
  
"Well, I sure as heck don't want Pops to finding you and  
if those presences you detected are unfriendly it would be better  
to have you close by. Especially if they're Psychic, I hate getting  
hit by Bio Manipulation. It's a real pain, no pun intended."  
  
[I'm hurt, here I thought you just missed little ol' me.]  
  
"Well...that too. But I can't just carry an ancient glowing  
rune-covered weapon around in plain sight, you'll have to  
stay in the sub-dimensional pocket."  
  
[Hmph!]  
  
{Look, I'm sorry. It's the best I can do right now  
until I can think of something better.}  
  
[You owe me another one Saotome.]  
  
*Sigh*  
  
{Add it to my tab.}  
  
[Don't worry...I will.]  
  
Uh oh. That did not bode well for him.  
  
He concentrated for a moment, a brief distortion  
shivered through the air and soon Ranma's hands  
were empty once more.  
  
{Now for the rest of the stuff}  
  
A small branch with five buds that  
radiated vitality was the next thing   
he pulled out.  
  
It never hurt to be prepared.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-A Little Later  
  
A fortune in gems lay in front of him.   
  
During his last stop to Phase World Ranma had   
purchased a quantity of flawless diamonds, emeralds,   
sapphires, rubies, and other precious gems. Since   
Universal Credits had no value back home he'd needed   
something that he could trade for local money, it   
helped that the stuff was practically dirt cheap in   
an age where rare precious metals and gemstones had   
either become common or were easily synthesized.  
Even Ranma was unaware of the true value of his   
stash, the pile of glittering stones that had  
been lying within the Bag of Holding were valuable  
enough to make Saotome one of the richest men on the   
planet. And it was only one of *several* bags that he'd   
managed to pack within his suitcase. He made a mental   
note to see a jeweler and get some of the smaller  
gems appraised.  
  
{I think this is going to come in handy soon enough.}  
  
Pocketing a few of the priceless jewels Ranma continued to  
rummage through several years worth of accumulated stuff,  
both magical and not. By the time Kasumi awoke and started  
to get the kitchen ready for breakfast his luggage was secured  
once more and the young martial artist had begun his morning  
katas.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was a quiet morning, the previous night's rain left few traces  
in the bright light of the new day. A light mist shrouded the Nermia  
neighborhood and had draped the Tendo's yard with a covering of dew,  
the diamond drops sparkling as the warm rays of the sun struck them.  
  
It was this serene scene that the eldest daughter of the household enjoyed  
as she prepared her family's morning meal. Kasumi had learned to find and  
enjoy the simple pleasures of life, they were all that she had now.  
  
The notes of the local avians sounded sweetly as the rice cooked,  
vegetables were chopped, and leftovers warmed up. (2)  
  
Looking out toward the Dojo as she fixed a steaming pot of green tea,  
Kasumi noticed that the door was ajar. Everything was fine here so she  
could afford a few minutes away to see what was going on. Perhaps  
Ranma or his father had got up early to practice.  
  
She couldn't resist checking the guest room on her way out.  
  
A snoring well done Genma was its only occupant.  
  
That meant...  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Tendo Dojo  
  
Front Kick.  
Turn.  
Open Tiger Palm Strike.  
Step Forward.  
Block.  
Snap Kick.  
Step Back.  
High Punch.  
  
A light sheen of sweat developed on his naked chest as Ranma put  
his body through a workout that made Marine boot camp seem like  
a Hawaiian Vacation. He pressed his physical limits to their max  
in a graceful dance of strikes and parries that started with basic  
Kempo before flowing through dozens of other martial arts forms.  
Somehow the diverse moves that came faster and faster until his arms  
and legs started to blur had been woven together into a unique harmony  
that was as beautiful as it was effective. A slight change in stance to  
gain a better base to strike from, the adjustment of an attack by a few  
centimeters, signs so subtle only a master would be able to  
spot the small characteristics that identified the Anything Goes Style.  
  
Relentlessly he continued to test himself, even though  
the strain of keeping up such a grueling pace had now  
reached a point as to daunt even the healthiest human  
Ranma's breathing still remained smooth and even.  
  
One of the few useful things he'd learned from Genma during  
their training trip was that you couldn't slack off if you were a  
true Martial Artist. It was an all or nothing proposition. For   
over an hour his kata went on, blows that could crush a tank like   
tinfoil hissed through the air and exotic styles long lost to this   
world were performed with a grandmaster's ability.  
  
He could have spent days within the informal kata if he'd   
been of a mind to, losing himself within the harmony of   
the Art. His Forge blessed body ached all over, but it   
was a good pain. The fire in his muscles made him feel alive,   
a natural rush that cleansed the mind and body. The previous   
night's rest could last him for weeks, even months before he'd   
need to sleep again. But the sun was already making its climb   
into the sky. Tempted as he might be to go back to training,   
Ranma had more pressing concerns at the moment.  
  
{I wonder what's for breakfast?}  
  
Ever since his transformation Ranma had been keeping  
up his illusion of mortality. He ate, he slept and he trained.  
Never did he allow himself to forget what it meant to be human.  
As long as Ranma remembered to live, his power wouldn't corrupt  
him as it had so many others before.  
  
Few beings had ever seen his true form and lived to tell about it, Ranma  
had only summoned his armor in the past for real emergencies. Even then   
he made sure that nothing ever linked him to the mysterious Knight that   
showed up every now and then. Evil-doers who had discovered the truth   
usually did so with their dying breath.The number of people that were aware   
of his deception could be counted on two hands with fingers to spare. Even   
most of the other Knights didn't know that he was really one of them, especially  
given his penchant for relying on magic. As a rule CosmoKnights usually  
tended to rely chiefly on their natural powers, magic was usually avoided  
by them like the plague because it was one of their few vulnerabilities.   
As Ranma could have pointed out though, he was still alive and lots of other  
CosmoKnights weren't.  
  
A small gasp from the entrance of the Dojo caught his attention as  
the half naked young man started to wipe off the sweat from  
this morning's training.  
  
"Oh my!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-A whole Universe away  
  
"CAPTAIN!!!"  
  
"Uh?"  
  
Lt. Commander Justie Tylor of the CAF Space Force  
was jolted awoke from his nice nap and great dream.  
In it he'd been having a great time at the beach with Emi,  
Yumi and Azalyn-chan. That reminded him, one of these days  
he'd have to show the Empress how much fun the sand and surf were.  
  
Speaking of which, he STILL hadn't found out about those  
Raalgon hotsprings yet! Maybe the next time Dom captured him  
he could find out. It was a shame that the others couldn't join   
in until they came to *rescue* him from the enemy.  
  
Even though both governments were now members of the Consortium  
of Civilized Worlds (CCW) they had never actually signed a peace  
treaty and were technically still at war with each other, although by  
CCW law they couldn't actually engage in hostilities. So every couple  
of weeks when Azalyn, Holy Empress of the Raalgon wanted to see her  
pet Paco-Paco, Dom or his subordinate Shia Has (depending on which  
one of them was unlucky enough to get the short straw that week) went  
out to *capture* Tylor and bring him back. He came with them willingly  
enough most of the time, but then the women on board the Soyokaze  
would get jealous and so the crew had to go and get him back from  
the Melva, the Raalgon Mothership.  
  
But at least the eighteen year old monarch was only one person.  
The legion of WAIT (Women After Irresponsible Tylor) numbered in  
the hundreds of millions. Discovering the planet Victoria's Secret  
had been a big mistake, the Captain volunteering to lead the  
investigation expedition had been an even worse one.  
  
But at the moment none of that was Tylor's concern, his  
indifference to even the most grave crisis was already legendary  
throughout the known Universe.  
  
"CAPTAIN!!!"  
  
"What is it Mr. Yamamoto?"  
  
First officer of the infamous destroyer, Lt. Yamamoto was a  
man who routinely gave himself an ulcer trying to make up  
his mind. Usually a by the book officer, Yamamoto possessed  
an irresponsible streak that rivaled his superior's though  
he usually covered it up quite well with layers and layers  
of regulations.  
  
"We have detected a group of unidentified ships closing fast!"  
  
"Oh? That's probably just Azalyn-chan coming to pick  
me up again."  
  
"Captain! They don't match any Raalgon signature! In fact their profiles  
are more like the space pirates we were sent to apprehend!!"  
  
Lt. Yuriko Star, the efficient intelligence officer of the Soyokaze   
and perhaps the most responsible person on board (which wasn't really  
saying all that much) shot an exasperated look at the man that she   
both loved and wanted to strangle whenever he behaved irresponsibly.  
In a way she envied her counterpart aboard the Untamed Stallion,  
at least Ranma behaved sensibly some of the time. Of all the men in  
all the planets in all the galaxies in all the Universe she had to fall   
for the most Irresponsible Man Alive. Granite had nothing on Tylor.  
  
"Oh, I guess that means we better do something then."  
  
*CRASH*  
  
The entire bridge picked themselves up from their  
collective facefault. Sometimes they thought that  
the Captain was actually more sensible then he  
was letting on and then he'd go and do something   
like this. Either he was a tactical genius or the  
luckiest idiot in the Universe. The popular money was  
riding on the latter, although after awhile several   
people were now coming to suspect the former.  
  
"What are your orders Captain?"  
  
Lt. Katori was the only known Buddhist Monk navigator  
in the Consortium Armed Forces (CAF). His dazzling  
head of blonde hair was actually a wig, though even a close  
inspection could fail to spot the difference. Undisputedly one of  
the best capital ship pilots living, the handsome officer seemed out  
of place on the rather rambunctious ship. Without his skills however  
the Soyokaze would have been scrapped long ago.  
  
"Hmmm..."  
  
The twenty two old Captain looked  
like he was thinking seriously.  
  
By now though every one of the officers on board  
knew that appearences could be deceiving, especially   
in Tylor's case.  
  
"Let's talk to them! Lt. Kim, open a channel."  
  
"Of course, what else could we expect from you Captain."  
  
A runway fashion model in her off hours, the young  
and beautiful brown haired communications officer  
possessed a tongue sharp enough to geld even the  
most officious superior. Naturally she often directed  
her scathing comments toward Tylor's relaxed attitude,  
though every now and then the part of her that really   
liked him slipped past the mask of professionalism.  
  
"Standard hailing frequency ready."  
  
"Yoo hoo! This is Captain Justie Ueki Tylor, Age 22. Please  
identify yourselves since you're approaching the Soyokaze and  
we don't know who you are. It's common courtesy after all."  
  
"Uh...captain..."  
  
The crew had much faith in Tylor, but once again that loyalty  
was being put to the test. Sure the Captain was able to get   
them out of the messes that the Soyokaze encountered but he   
was usually the reason that they got into them in the first place!  
  
Nervously everyone (with the exception of Tylor) looked toward   
the bridge's display to see the unidentified ships' response.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Aboard their ships the Scourges of the  
Spaceways (a fancy way of saying they're   
scumsucking pirates) were breaking out   
in a full blown panic attack.  
  
THE Tylor was facing them!!!  
  
The most feared man in all of space, hailed as the greatest military  
mind in the Three Galaxies (3), had obviously been sent here by the  
CAF to utterly destroy the pirate problem that the CCW had been  
having in this sector. So now their problem was trying to decide what  
they were going to do about it.  
  
The majority wanted to surrender immediately before  
they were brutally slaughtered by the Tylor.  
Several wanted to just run away and never come back,  
the only problem with that was he'd probably kill them if they  
did. And a very small group actually wanted to try  
attacking the Soyokaze.  
  
Of course that resulted in quite an argument.  
  
"We must attack!!! If we destroy the Tylor we will become famous!!"  
  
"You FOOLS! The Soyokaze's marksmanship  
is unequalled!! They have a PERFECT to-hit ratio!"  
  
That was common knowledge. What *wasn't*  
well known was *why* its record was so  
flawless, the reason that the destroyer   
had never missed was because it had never   
fired a shot at the enemy since Tylor  
became captain!  
  
Captain Tylor's opponents were their own worst enemies.  
He didn't have to attack them, they did all the work for him.  
Once again this point was demonstrated.  
  
"We should run!"  
  
"We should give up!"  
  
"We should kill him! He's only one man with one small  
ship! If we stick together we can destroy the Soyokaze!"  
  
"Are you out of your MIND?! I don't want the Raalgon Empire  
after my head!! Not to mention W.A.I.T., do you know what those  
Amazons do to people that get on their bad side?!"  
  
"Bah, Stay here then you cowards! We'll do it if you're too  
afraid to!"  
  
"No! Stop them!! If they anger the Tylor we're all dead meat!!!"  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The astonished observers on the bridge had a front  
row seat to the ensuing havoc that broke out.  
  
A fraction of the pirates broke from the rest to attack and  
were promptly fired upon by their comrades. The fight that broke  
out between the two factions soon ended with most of the ships on  
BOTH sides either destroyed or badly damaged.  
  
Kim was the first one to relay the good news.  
  
"Captain, they say that they are the Space Pirates  
in this sector! And they want to surrender!!"  
  
"Captain you're a genius!"  
  
First Officer Yamamoto had never doubted him for a minute,  
never mind the fact that he'd been about to declare Tylor unfit  
for command a minute ago in this situation.  
  
"What'd I do?"  
  
Captain Tylor looked puzzled before deciding to just  
smile and go along with it.  
  
White Queen takes Black Knight.  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) Pulling down the lower eyelid and sticking out the tongue,  
a commonly used insult in Anime.  
  
(2) It's a Miracle!  
  
(3) Scary thought isn't it. 


	14. Chapter 3b: And The Band Played On.

~~~~~  
Chapter 3b: And the Band played on.  
~~~~~  
  
"Oh? Good morning Kasumi!"  
  
Ranma had decided to do without his shirt since his workouts  
tended to work up quite a sweat and he didn't have that an  
extensive a wardrobe in the first place. His crew had never  
complained about it though so naturally he figured that the  
same would be alright here. His years spent in other dimensions  
had not destroyed the core of innocence that lay within his heart,  
a fact that continued to draw members of the opposite sex to him  
like moths to a flame. The main drawback of that well meaning  
naiveté was that it also meant that short of directly confronting  
him with said interest (and sometimes not even then) the poor Knight  
would never realize that it was there in the first place.  
  
Now was no exception to the rule.  
  
That rosy tinge to those flawless cheeks, those sparkling eyes  
simmering with barely repressed lust, and the way she tore a  
perfectly good apron into teeny tiny shreds of white would  
have clued even the most dense of men that something was up.  
  
But this was a Saotome...their cluelessness was legendary.  
  
"So what brings you out here this morning? If you're going  
to practice I just finished so the Dojo's free."  
  
It took Kasumi a moment to realize he was talking  
to her as her attention wasn't focused on his head.  
Her appreciation of Chinese garb rose enormously  
as she noticed that after his workout the black silk  
pants now molded onto Ranma like a second skin.  
  
"Oh no, I don't train anymore. Akane is the heir  
to our family's style. I was curious to see who was  
out here at such an early hour, usually Akane goes  
out jogging in the morning. She prefers to save her  
workouts in the Dojo for when she comes home  
from school."  
  
"Sorry about that. I didn't think anyone would mind if  
I trained here."  
  
"It's no trouble at all. This place has  
been so quiet since mother..."  
  
Kasumi looked down as her voice trailed off.  
  
Human perception is an unpredictable thing. While he couldn't  
pick up even the most blatent flirtation if his life depended  
on it Ranma had a uncanny knack for being able to recognize  
the signs of emotional distress and help a person deal with it.   
This was due in part to the fact that he was an excellent   
listener (though with rather selective hearing) and a very  
compassionate person by nature. So as soon as the words "quiet"   
"since" and "mother"were uttered tiny alarms started going off in  
his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of  
any painful memories."  
  
Leaning closer toward Kasumi who still averted her eyes away  
from him Ranma placed a warm hand on her cheek and gently  
tilted her head up to face him.  
  
A chance ray of sunlight chose that  
particular moment to illuminate the  
young man's features with a bright  
halo as his smiled warmly in an attempt  
to let the Tendo daughter know she wasn't  
alone and that he was there for her.  
  
A quiet hush descended on the premises  
as Kasumi became lost in those concerned  
pools of sapphire blue. They seemed to promise  
a safe haven from the storm of turmoil that surrounded  
her as she kept the household together day after day. Her body  
unconsciously swayed and started to lean toward him, bringing  
them closer together. She could almost taste his lips, the  
moment was so perfect...  
  
Closer...just a few inches more...  
  
Almost there...  
  
~~~~~~~  
-You Knew Something Like This Would Happen  
  
Just as this scene was about to become  
prime time viewing one of the simmering pots  
in the kitchen started to bubble over on the stove.  
  
A slighty unpleasant smell coming from the  
direction of the house caused the couple's respective  
noses to twitch in alarm, breaking the mood.  
  
"Oh my! Breakfast is burning!"  
  
Withdrawing with a guilty look of disappointment  
Kasumi started to rush toward her little kingdom  
to avert a potential disaster.  
  
Ranma followed close behind. He still hadn't  
put a shirt on yet. Kasumi wisely didn't turn around  
to look as she fought to keep her composure. But she also  
didn't point out the young man's state of disarray to him either.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"I'll give you a hand in the kitchen."  
  
"It's alright, you don't have to...."  
  
"It's no trouble, as a guest here it's the least I can do."  
  
"Oh....Thank you."  
  
Such a simple gesture of kindness, yet it made her feel  
all warm and tingly all over. Had anyone ever done anything  
like this for her before? Akane's ill fated attempts at helping her  
usually sprang from wanting to impress friends or out of a  
desire to simple show the world that she was just as good at the more  
feminine arts as "Big Sister Kasumi". Somehow cleaning up the  
messes she inevitably made and compensating for the utensils and  
dishes she broke or rendered unfit for human contact was always  
ignored and left for Kasumi which only added to the workload of  
cleaning and cooking for a family of four.The only time Nabiki ever  
entered her domain was to pick up something to munch on. As for Father...  
  
Though she knew in her heart that he was a good man even he didn't lift  
a finger to do the chores and she didn't have the heart to try and tell him  
to do them.  
  
Yet here was someone who she had just  
met and he offered his help without asking  
for anything in return. Not that she'd mind if he did want  
something...oh my...that thought was becoming most improper...  
  
If Kasumi had been wearing glasses they would have fogged  
over at that moment.  
  
Fortunately Ranma was able to keep her from accidently  
pouring kerosene onto the grill, otherwise the still slumbering  
residents would have gotten the mother in law of all wake up calls!  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
As the hours passed the glorious yellow sun started  
its climb across the sky and brought lifegiving light  
and heat to the citizens of Tokyo.  
  
Akane and Nabiki opened their slightly bloodshot eyes, yawned  
and cursed the early hour that forced them from their beds, then  
went to attend their individual morning toiletries. Both made very sure  
to check the furo for occupants before entering. Oddly enough both suffered  
minor twinges of disappointment upon the discovery that it was indeed  
empty after all.  
  
Genma woke up, relatively speaking. Perhaps it would be  
better to say that he regained consciousness. Or rather what  
passed for a state of consciousness.  
  
{Urghghhh...no more all night sake binges...  
...wait a second...this doesn't feel like a hangover...}  
  
The thick stench of burnt fur and body hair quickly got his eyes  
open as he sat up.  
  
*CRICK*  
  
Genma's eyes widened as tears of pain formed.  
Sometime during the night (when that evil suitcase had  
sprouted giant mechanical gloved hands and dribbled  
him around like big furry basketball before tossing him  
into the koi pond) a disc had slipped in his back. And  
boy did it hurt!  
  
Training the boy could wait, he needed a chiropractor ASAP.  
  
"Morning Pop."  
  
It took only a glance to figure out his father's predicament.  
Even though he knew it was wrong Ranma couldn't help but  
smirk a little. That "ACME Warner surprise upgrade" had been  
worth every credit he'd spent for it.  
  
"Ranma my boy...your father needs a doctor. Be a good son   
and run along and get one."  
  
"No need, I can fix it."  
  
"Ah..wait a second boy, do you have license for this!?"  
  
"Don't worry Pops...I had a good teacher...trust me..."  
  
Somehow that didn't reassure Genma, it sounded too  
much like him right when he'd suggested the trip to Jusenkyo.  
  
`I'm sure it's nothing Ranma, you don't have to!!"  
  
"Oh but I insist..."  
  
The older man did not like that grin he saw on his son's face.  
  
"Wait wait wait!!"  
  
"Now hold still...this may...sting a little."  
  
"Ack!"  
  
Locating the appropriate spot in the small of his father's back  
Ranma gave a small tap to it.  
  
*SNAP*CRACKLE*POP*  
  
"YEEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!"  
  
The house shook for a moment before settling back down.  
  
`THAT HURT!!!"  
  
"You're standing up aren't you?"  
  
"THAT'S...uh...I guess I am."  
  
"Now if you'll excuse me I've got  
to set up the table for breakfast."  
  
"Wait a second boy! It's time for your training! I've  
been too lax on you lately! You've become soft and weak  
like a woman!"  
  
Ranma tried not burst out into hysterical laughter.   
If Genma had dared to say something like that   
on the Untamed Stallion nobody would ever find his   
body. If there was one thing that he'd learned,   
it was that women weren't weak at all.  
  
This was not the reaction the overweight martial artist  
had expected, normally even implying that he was  
remotely like a girl was enough to send his son charging in  
with a full head of steam.  
  
And the boy had even left his back wide open, such sloppiness  
was disgraceful! A good thrashing should teach his son better.  
  
The older heavyset man crept up to Ranma as the young man set the table.  
Then as his son bent down to place a cup he struck.  
Ranma would never know what hit him.  
  
~~~~~~  
-1.2344433446 seconds later  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
A soggy brown muzzle poked its way out of the koi pond.  
  
"Nice try Pop."  
  
A few late blooming flowers were being carefully arranged  
among the dishes to form a decorative work of art.  
  
~~~~~~  
-1.1118327483 seconds later  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
A large bulky form floated to the surface of the water.  
  
"Would you at least wait until I finish?"  
  
The tea set tastefully offset the rice bowls but the chopsticks  
needed to be moved a little bit.  
  
~~~~~~  
-1.26457 seconds later....  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
"Knock...  
  
1.00033 seconds....  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
"...it..."  
  
.93465 sec....  
  
*SPLASH*  
  
"...off already!"  
  
*KLONG*  
  
A large lump formed on  
the now unconscious bear's head  
as it slumped against one of  
the ornamental rocks bordering the pool.  
  
"He's stubborn, I'll give him that much."  
  
Ranma went to pull his father out before he drowned.  
Maybe now Genma would leave him in peace.  
  
{Nahhh.}  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Breakfast progressed smoothly with only one interruption.  
  
"YOU'RE going to OUR school!?"  
  
Akane's look was one that said she obviously  
hoped that she'd heard him wrong.  
  
"Yes, here's my transcript."  
  
"How did you get it so fast?! You just arrived yesterday!"  
  
Nabiki was a little flabbergasted, her contacts should have  
informed her about something like this weeks ago!  
  
"I made a few arrangements before I came to Nerima. No biggie,  
just a little this and that to smooth things along."  
  
He deliberately left out the fact that he'd hacked his way into  
the government servers to register and set up a passable background  
that would minimize the paperwork the moment he'd set foot in Japan.  
  
Ranma hated paperwork, it was the bane of all decent military personnel.  
  
"Well then, me and Akane will just have to walk  
with you to school then and show you where it is."  
  
{Time to start revealing the disadvantages of the competition.  
Is that a silk shirt? It looks...nice.}  
  
"Gee thanks!"  
  
"NABIKI!"  
  
"Oh my."  
  
{Drat, I've already graduated.}  
  
~~~~  
  
Akane and Nabiki looked at the carefree martial artist   
casually strolling along. This wouldn't have been so strange   
a sight had it not been for the fact he was doing so on a narrow  
chainlink fence that was taller then they were.  
  
"Why are you walking up there!? Too good to  
walk on the ground like the rest of us normal people?"  
  
Akane took this as yet another slight toward herself.  
At this rate she was going to earn herself an ulcer before  
she graduated.  
  
"She does raise at least one valid question Ranma, why  
are you up there?"  
  
Nabiki was genuinely curious to hear his reason  
for being up there.  
  
"It's kinda fun."  
  
*WHAM*  
  
After picking herself up from an impressive facefault Nabiki  
shot a disbelieving look at what had to be the most  
totally unorthodox person she had ever met.  
  
"You're walking on a fence because it's *fun*?!"  
  
"Well, why not?"  
  
"...."  
  
Okay, so for once the Mistress of Wits didn't have a ready response at hand.  
  
It happens.  
  
Silence filled the gap between the three.  
Of course Ranma didn't notice it much.  
It gave him more time to do important stuff,  
like thinking.  
  
"I'm NOT going to marry you, you know!"  
  
Finally the youngest Tendo daughter decided  
to break the stifling quiet with her flawless   
logic and insight.  
  
The handsome pigtailed young man shrugged carelessly.  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
Akane's eyebrows twitched with suppressed  
irritation at having been dismissed so casually....again.  
  
Enter the comic relief.  
  
"You WILL marry one of Tendo's daughters, Ranma!!!"  
  
"Gotta catch me first old man!"  
  
Laughing gleefully Ranma took off across the rooftops  
at a speed that a peregrine falcon would have envied.  
  
"Come back here!"  
  
Huffing and puffing, Genma scrambled off in pursuit.  
  
"Honestly, those two are so embarrassing. Why do  
they have to stay at our house?"  
  
`Now be nice Akane, they are our guests after all."  
  
"Hmph!"  
  
~~~~~  
-About 2 miles later  
  
*pant**pant*'  
  
"Co...co...come...*cough*cough*....bac...  
...back..*wheeze*.he..he...he...here...*ugh*..."  
  
Genma collapsed, sweating like a pig and totally  
exhausted as he watched his boy vanish in the distance.  
  
{When did he get so damn fast?!}  
  
~~~~~~  
-Whoops  
  
Ranma looked around at all the big stores and little shops.  
  
He must have taken a wrong turn back there. This  
was the commerical district, not Furinkan. Although it was  
rather nice to know where he could go this afternoon to get  
some local units of exchange. Money couldn't solve every  
problem but it certainly worked well for most of them!  
  
It looked like he'd have to hurry if he didn't want to be late for  
his first day of school. A jade green blur bounded from roof to  
roof as he finally determined the right direction to go. It was  
rather embarrassing to admit that even with his instinctual  
knowledge of his exact position in the Multiverse at all times  
he STILL got lost sometimes. The funny thing was it had only  
started happening after that side trip to a little backwater  
dimension...  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
One particular building was home to a pair of sharp eyes.  
  
"Micheru, what are you looking at?"  
  
"I thought I saw someone for a second, Haruka."  
  
"On the roof? Are you sure?"  
  
"Funny though, I could have sworn it was carrying..."  
  
"Carrying what?"  
  
"A...a schoolbag."  
  
"...Maybe you need some rest."  
  
"Only if you're here to share it."  
  
"Well then...hey!..*mmm*...*light sigh*...*giggle*...  
...aren't we full of energy all of a sudden...  
...*sounds best left to the imagination*..."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Now where am I?  
  
How hard was it to find one school in Tokyo?  
Ranma was about to find that out the hard way.  
  
"Sorry, this is Tomebiki."  
  
He sighed, this wasn't it either.  
  
"I knew I should have taken that   
right turn at the Cat Cafe!"  
  
"Look, I've got to get going. Sorry I can't help you out."  
  
"Oh that's okay,....um...."  
  
"Ryuunosuke, my name's Ryuunosuke Fujinami."  
  
"Ryuunosuke? That's strange, what kind of an idiot gives  
such a cute girl a guy's name?!"  
  
"..Cu..c...cute?"  
  
*Ba-Bump**Ba-Bump*  
  
"Sure! I mean anybody could see what a pretty young lady  
you are. Oh where are my manners, I'm Ranma. Ranma Saotome."  
  
His devasating smile was on full power, he wanted to  
make the best impression he could. It worked well...too well in fact.  
  
"..Pr..p..pre...pretty?!"  
  
Ryuunosuke had just passed Cloud Nine and didn't   
show any signs of coming back down to Earth anytime soon.  
  
"Sorry to bother you! Ja ne!"  
  
Off he bounded like a grasshopper on steroids.   
Leaving behind one very dazed crossdressing girl.....  
  
{Furinkan High...maybe I can see him..er..I mean it, later.}  
  
Somewhere in the neighborhood a monk named Cherry raised his  
head and uttered two words that pretty much summed up the  
building situation.  
  
"Most ominous..."  
  
~~~~~  
-Uh...  
  
Saint Hebereke. Nope, he definitely had   
no business at an all girl's school.  
  
Maybe he should have checked the map  
*before* he left. The only consolation he  
had was that at least none of the people  
he knew were here to see this, he'd never  
live it down.  
  
He wondered if that kid he had met in junior  
high had gone through anything like this. What   
was his name again... Ryo...Ryoda Hidiki...   
or something like that...  
  
Far, far away in the wilds of China something   
warm, fuzzy, and pure evil sneezed.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-This Is Getting Ridiculous  
  
{Not again!}  
  
This was starting to get out of hand.  
  
"Ah, excuse me. This isn't Furinkan High School is it?"  
  
"No, this is Gravitron High."  
  
{DOH!}  
  
"Thanks anyway Miss ah...."  
  
He was talking to a dust trail.  
  
"Oh well. Let's try that again."  
  
He'd probably never run into that redhead again anyway.  
  
Once more into the breach.  
  
~~~~  
-Good Night Everybody!  
  
"WHAT THE HECK?!!"  
  
{Big...Toenail...of...Satan...Educational...Facility?!!}  
  
This didn't look anything like a school,   
he'd seen Kreeghor Prisons less intimidating!!  
  
A very naked young lady ran past dressed in a red mask with  
a matching pair of high heel boots.  
  
"..."  
  
Carefully Ranma blinked his eyes a few times.  
  
{Please tell me I did not just see a naked girl in a red mask run by.}  
  
Today was not shaping up to be a good day.  
  
Try again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-One more time!  
  
*ZOOM*  
  
At this point Ranma was getting a little desperate,  
if he couldn't find Furinkan soon he was going to  
be late. So here he was chasing after a bicycle doing  
better then 80 mph down the quiet streets of Nerima.  
  
At least the girl was cute.  
  
"HI!"  
  
Amazingly she could talk to him and pedal like a maniac  
at the same time without running into something.  
  
"Hi, do you know where Furinkan High is?"  
  
"Hmm...Nuku Nuku remember! Take next right and go straight!"  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
"BYE BYE!"  
  
Nuku Nuku waved back at her new friend as  
she decided to start really moving.  
  
*WHOOSH*  
  
The ten speeder that was going at least nine speeds faster  
then it was ever intended to abruptly went from Warp drive   
to Ludicrous speed.  
  
Lines of plaid bounced off Ranma's now sheepish  
face as he was left behind in the dust.  
  
{This IS my home planet, right?}  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Elsewhere  
  
Ranma wasn't the only one having a hard time swallowing this.  
  
"I don't believe this! How can anyone fumble SIX  
navigational bearing rolls in row and not be a Hibiki?!"  
  
Even dressed in stately white platemail, somehow  
the figure managed to convey a sense of twitching  
incredibility.  
  
The dark robed one pulled out a small notepad and  
then looked at the various enchantments and alterations  
in play on Saotome to jot them down for posterity.  
  
After a moment a very oversized sweatdrop appeared.  
  
"I think I'm going to need a bigger notebook."  
  
~~~~~  
-At long last  
  
"Whew! Finally found it!"  
  
He had arrived just in time, Akane and  
Nabiki already approaching the front gates.  
  
He waved at them, happy to see that he'd made  
it just in time. Jumping down to join the Tendo girls  
Ranma clasped both their hands in his own in relief.  
  
"Man, you two have no idea how happy I am to see you."  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!"  
  
Akane wasn't the only to react to this strange twist of events,  
several dozen angry male voices yelled from the school yard  
as they witnessed this undreamed of sacrilege.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Ranma looked to see a weird sight, it looked like every boy  
attending Furinkan was dressed up in sports equipment or   
martial arts outfits and gathered in front of the main school building.  
  
One of them, dressed in an *ice* hocky   
uniform gasped in shaky disbelief.  
  
"He's...He's...HE'S TOUCHING AKANE'S HAND!!!"  
  
Cries of outrage sprung up from all around at that observation  
as if they couldn't see that perfectly well for themselves.  
  
The group seemed to come to a consensus after some dark muttering.  
  
"Let's get him!!!"  
  
The horde of beserk hormonally driven jocks  
charged toward the new student, intent on turning  
the infidel who had dared defile the skin of their pure  
goddess Akane into a stain on the concrete.  
  
{You have GOT to be kidding me.}  
  
A large sweatdrop formed on the back of  
Ranma's head as he saw the angry mob heading  
toward him.  
  
{Now the fun begins.}  
  
Nabiki smirked, this was sure to discourage any chance  
of anything forming between her younger sister and  
their potential fiancee.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Saotome Residence (Abandon All Hope, Ye who enter here...)  
  
"So when will we meet Ranma, Aunty Nodoka?"  
  
"Chi! You and Azusa didn't have to tag along!"  
  
It wasn't fair! How was she supposed to be able to  
spend any quality time with fiancee and get to know him  
better when her manager and apprentice in training would be  
watching over her shoulder every minute!?  
  
"Very soon, once you've gone through the Anything Goes  
Bridal Training we'll join my son and husband at the house of  
an old family friend."  
  
{Poor Soun, I do hope he's recovered from the loss of his wife.  
My son's wedding shouldn't be disrupted by one of his crying sprees.}  
  
"Wha?! Anything Goes BRIDAL TRAINING???  
  
"Of course dear, when I'm done you will be the  
perfect match for my manly son."  
  
Something sent a cold shiver running down the  
spines of the three girls. It might have been that  
eerie confident tone, the twinking sparklies shooting  
out from big eyes filled motherly love and pride, or  
the battle aura of motherly pride that towered over them.  
  
The sudden crackle of thunder and lightning in the  
clear blue sky had absolutely nothing to do with it,  
nor did the flock of frozen black ravens crashing down  
into a nearby temple, and it couldn't possibly be due to  
the fact that every chopstick in sight had just broken in half  
for no conceivable reason at all.  
  
Heh. Hehehe...yeah right.  
  
The three girls almost made it out of the house  
before the arms of well intended doom dragged  
them back in to meet their fate...  
  
"Wait!! I'm not the one getting married!!!"  
  
The fine wooden door slammed shut with a solemn finality.  
  
Black Queen takes White Pawn.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High (Where Brains Are Not An Asset)  
  
Ranma Saotome was being given a warm  
welcome by the local athletes.  
  
{Oh Fershlugger!}  
  
While being attacked by an bloodthirsty mob was  
not totally outside of his experience this was the first  
time they were using bats and rackets instead of guns and  
grenades. Japan was supposed to be a peaceful country  
after all, had things really changed that much in ten years?  
  
He'd have to follow that line of thought later, as for now...  
  
[Tactical Mode Engaged.]  
  
[Multiple hostile contacts detected.]  
  
[Threat value: 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000001  
i.e. you're kidding right?]  
  
[Options:   
  
1. Attack -Unacceptable, Ethical conflict  
2. Run -Unacceptable, Honor conflict  
3. Nonlethal Neutralization -Unacceptable, 99.9% certainty  
that hostilities will resume in 23.68 hours  
4. Demonstration of Tactical Disadvantages Regarding   
An Attack Against Self -Loss of dignity within acceptable parameters  
Commencing with Style #37: Lee Kwan Choo  
Initiating...]  
  
Hopping back a bit to get some room to manuver  
Ranma avoided no less then twelve different types of  
sports balls, half a dozen training weights, and a javelin  
that some wise guy from the track team had borrowed.  
Not to mention all the punches, kicks and miscellaneous  
attempts to cause great amounts of bodily harm to him.  
  
It helped that every one of them fought like individuals instead of  
as a team. That meant that their attacks often got tangled up as they  
tried to attack from the same direction at the same time.  
  
Akane watched this with a little shock.  
The crowd that normally challenged her  
each morning had gone right past her today.  
  
Why weren't they attacking her?  
They were attacking...HIM?!  
  
Relief was the first thing she felt.   
That lasted for only a moment before Anger hit.  
  
HOW DARE HE INTERFERE WITH HER FIGHT!!!  
  
She was a martial artist too! No boy was going to upstage her!!  
Ooohhh...She hoped that he got creamed, that would teach him to  
stop butting in!  
  
In fact she was going to give him a piece of her mind right now!  
  
Akane started stalking over to the genral melee going on, the slower  
boys that had the misfortune to be in her way quickly learned of their  
error before heading to La la land.  
  
"Ran-!"  
  
If Akane had been able to finish what she was about to say the entire  
course of the story might have been different. But that was the  
moment Ranma choose to make his move...  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
A lot can happen in fifteen seconds.  
  
In that short span of time battles can be won or lost.  
  
Within that brief fragment of time a decision can  
be made that will have earth-shaking effects in the future.  
  
In fifteen seconds a person's opinion of another can  
be forever changed or set in stone for eternity.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
1...  
  
The more observant ones closer to him spotted it first.  
The new kid was starting to light up as a prismatic  
glow enveloped him right before their eyes. Ranma's stance  
now looked a lot like a large cat preparing to pounce.  
  
...2...  
  
Those with a lick of sense in their heads hesitated in their attack  
and began to find that the idea of a strategic withdrawal had  
considerable merit. The majority of the pack charged in heedless  
of the consquences. Ranma's features hardened as a deadly gleam  
appeared in his eyes.  
  
...3...  
  
Now the rest of the boys noticed, even the most hardened of them  
were taken aback by the sheer force behind that chilling expression.  
Some of the more superstitious found themselves remembering stories  
of the boogie man and the many demons of Japanese legend.  
  
Now more of the jocks were beginning to reconsider   
this impulsive attack. But it was already too late.  
  
"KIYA!!!"  
  
The battle cry struck like a physical blow, stealing  
away their confidence and weakening their muscles with  
the first venomous drops of terror.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Eyecatch 1  
  
(Scene: Ranma is chasing a horde of monsters and  
villains from various Anime and RPGs (Rifts, Slayers, BGC, SM, etc.).  
They run from left to right and then offscreen for a moment. Then  
Ranma comes running back from the right side with a look of pure  
terror on his face. A moment later a *gigantic* mob of women with  
Kasumi, Tsunami, Urd, Ayla, Shayla Shayla, Misato, and Jaina Solo  
among them coming charging after him.)  
  
-Eyecatch 2  
  
(Ranma looks nervously to both sides, then breathes a sigh of  
relief when he sees that he's alone. Then he spots a gourmet feast laid  
out on a white picnic blanket. When he leans over and tries to grab some  
of the tempting food the trap springs and a dust cloud briefly obscures the  
screen. Sasami, Kasumi and Makoto(SM) step in and smile, Ranma is   
revealed to be caught in a fish net hanging from a wooden rod behind them.)  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
....15  
  
Furinkan's finest athletes were frozen in place by a combination  
of terror and disbelief. Growing dark stains on both ends of their  
pants along with a foul odor that started to fill the air  
were clear evidence of the effectiveness of Ranma's  
attack. The entire student body (minus one) was stunned by  
it, even Akane had to admit that she wasn't good enough to  
pull something like that off.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Damn..."  
  
Shadow let out a soft whistle of admiration.  
  
"I don't believe it! He's not supposed to have  
a horror factor unless he's transformed!!!"  
  
Zora dumped a bucket of ice water to end the  
Guardian's ravings quickly.  
  
The screams of outrage were another story.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-You Blinked  
  
{How'd he do that?!}  
  
Akane wondered, if she  
could learn a trick like that...  
  
Casually the pigtailed martial artist relaxed from  
his ready state and dusted off a few wood and  
metal splinters from his hands.  
  
"That's the only warning you get gents. I strongly suggest that you  
leave both me and the Tendos alone or you won't be so fortunate  
next time."  
  
Seeing that the gentlemen in question were incapable of coherent  
thought at the moment Ranma started to head toward the school building.  
  
Akane blinked as he walked past her then went after him.  
She reached out to grab him by the arm, as her  
hand encountered a solid array of muscle a small shiver  
that wasn't at all unpleasant in the least ran through the rest  
of her body and sparked a few embers in her lower abdomen.  
  
"Wait a second Ranma!"  
  
"Who dares approach the fierce tigeress of my heart?"  
  
Tatewaki Kuno's rehearsed speech was forgotten as he beheld  
this affrontery to his refined senses. So immersed in his fantasies  
that he'd missed the fireworks earlier, the would be samurai  
had strode out just in time to see his beloved Akane grab some  
strange boy's arm!  
  
{Unforgivable!!!}  
  
~~~~~~~  
-There Are Idiots Among Us  
  
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.  
  
{There's always one more to deal with.   
The Universe never cuts me a break!}  
  
What was next, giant singing fuzzy  
purple dinosaurs doing the Macarena? (1)  
  
"Who are you Cur?" Not waiting for a reply Kuno ranted on.  
  
"Ah! But it is the custom to give one's OWN name first!"  
  
{Is he for real?}  
  
"Fine then! MINE I shall GIVE!"  
  
The rumble of the approaching storm grew louder.  
  
{This is ridiculous. I came back home to escape  
from the craziness, NOT make it worse!}  
  
Ranma heaved a disgusted sigh as he looked up at the  
darkening heavens. It was going to rain any minute now  
and he wanted to get inside his class, not deal with this blowhard.  
  
"My name is Upperclassman Kuno. I am captain of Furinkan Kendo club and  
the undefeated rising star of the high school fencing world. But my peers  
call me..."  
  
{A loudmouthed idiot with more pride then sense by any chance?}  
  
"The BLUE THUNDER of Furinkan!"  
  
*KRAKKA**BOOM*  
  
A perfectly timed bolt of blue lightning ripped across the sky.  
  
{What a show off...}  
  
Several students watching the unfolding spectacle from  
the second story of the school building looked slightly puzzled  
by that last statement. Among them was Nabiki.  
  
"Blue Thunder?"  
  
"Have you heard about that Nabiki?"  
  
"News to me, last I heard he was calling  
himself the Shooting Star or some such junk."  
  
The entire student body looked upon the poor doomed fool  
who had attracted the attention of the school's best fighter.  
Even though he'd just beaten the rest of the male population,  
Kuno was in another class altogether. It was rumored that he  
might even be better then Akane! So everyone watched and  
whispered conversations sprang up among them. Those that  
were still conscious that is. Which meant that the crowd was   
composed mostly of girls. Lonely girls who hadn't been able to   
get a date for weeks since Kuno's stupid declaration  
had sent practically every eligible boy in school after Akane Tendo.  
  
"Oh no! Kuno's going to kill our one chance for happiness!!"  
  
"Maybe he'll just break a few bones and be content with that?"  
  
"Shhh...look! Something's happening!"  
  
Having decided there was no other viable way out of this Ranma  
decided to just go along with this little farce until an opening  
appeared.  
  
"I'm Ranma Sao-"  
  
Trying to stop this Akane blurted out the first thing  
that came to mind without bothering to think of the  
consequences.  
  
"He's just staying with us, Kuno!"  
  
{Oh swell, that really helped.....}  
  
"What?!"  
  
Kuno's shock was nothing compared to the student body's reaction.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
Told ya.  
  
An ugly red glow formed around the slightly shaking  
son of the noble house of Kuno.  
  
"Under the SAME roof as AKANE?!! I FORBID IT!!!"  
  
The Insane Strike of Righteous Justice (patent pending)  
came slashing down. Kuno might as well have sent his opponent  
a formal letter announcing his every movement, he telegraphed his  
attacks like a professional wrestler.  
  
Ranma merely hopped backwards, then continued on from his  
new spot several yards away from the angered kendoist.  
  
"As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me..."  
  
{Foul low bred dog! You dare insult the noble House of KUNO!?}  
  
Tatewaki growled like a feral animal at this base attack  
to his noble samurai heritage. At this point he wasn't about  
to settle for anything less then this peasant's head mounted  
on a pike.  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts.   
And to be completely honest, you don't impress me one bit."  
  
After that statement was heard the betting tripled.  
Nabiki found herself hard pressed to keep up, even she  
was astounded by Saotome's guts to say something like that!  
  
But could Ranma back up his bold words?  
  
It looked like they were about to find out.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Somewhere not revealed yet  
  
"Is something wrong old friend?"  
  
The figure's features were lost within the grand hall  
that stretched as far as the eye could see as he gestured  
toward the exquisitely crafted platinum board between the  
two players.  
  
"You've yet to make a move, in all the millenia I've  
known you I've never seen you play so poorly before."  
  
The setup of the game in progress revealed that  
Black was swiftly gaining control of the board despite  
the solid defense of White. Currently it was White's turn  
to move. There were few options left, no matter which  
direction a move was made one of the important pieces  
would be lost. A closer inspection revealed that the pieces  
were in fact miniature representations of various beings and  
creatures from from across the Multiverse. Even more telling  
was the fact that Ranma represented the Knight for White.  
  
The figure expected no response, he'd learned long ago  
that there was a reason for everything it did, the trick   
was finding out and more importantly, understanding why.  
  
Their friendship was an unusual one even by his standards.  
Both of them possessed ancient secrets and long lost  
knowledge that mortals would kill for, their seperate existances  
had been recorded at the dawn of the written word and spanned  
far before that through half remembered legends passed down through  
near ritualistic oral tradition. Unique and alone, scholar and meddler,  
yet who both found a common enjoyment in a simple friendly game. For  
a brief drop in the sea of time their responsibilities were set aside  
for the only true peace they had.  
  
But now...  
  
The change in his friend's choice of pieces had not gone unnoticed.   
He was worried, it seemed as if the other was playing an entirely   
different game this time rather then the one between them....  
  
[The Circle must be completed once more.]  
  
Shock held him in its grip. For the first  
time in living memory his friend had spoken to him!  
  
Ranma's armored form moved across the board  
to quietly knock over one of the opposing Black  
pieces.  
  
Knight takes Rook  
  
(To be continued...Hehehehehehe...)  
  
*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) I'm a fanfic writer, not a sadist!  
  



	15. Chapter 3c: The other shoe drops...

~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3c: The other shoe drops...  
~~~~~~~  
  
-Negaverse, T-minus 7 hours  
  
From the lifeless depths of the dark void   
came the order that they had been dreading.  
  
"It is time. Go, and do not fail me."  
  
The three generals knelt partly in respect,  
but mostly in fear. Maybe death wouldn't  
be so bad after all compared to having to  
live in terror and suffering for all eternity.  
  
"As you command, Master."  
  
But it was a millennia too late for them.  
  
They left for the Material Plane with their individual  
signatures of teleportation, smoke, cherry blossom petals,   
and shards of crystal respectively. But they did not go alone.  
  
A number of smoky, featureless wraiths went with them.  
  
Metall'a was through with being subtle and letting  
the Senshi nibble away at her resources, her string  
of defeats spanning back to the Silver Millenium  
had shown her that when it came to death and  
destruction sometimes the old fashioned ways are best.  
Instead of using one youma at a time that would quickly get  
blasted into Moon dust and result in yet another loss of her  
precious psychic energy this time her minions would be prepared  
and numerous enough to overwhelm even that old Time Witch. It  
would be amusing to watch as the mighty Sailor Pluto was slowly  
broken by a thousand years of degradation at her tendrils.   
Yes, the Intelligence had many plans for its hated enemies.  
  
If the first attack failed then another would soon follow it,   
and another, and another, and so on. It would strain her remaining   
reserves to the limit but the end result would be worth the lost power.  
Unlike Metall'a the female warriors needed to eat and rest.  
For every youma that she lost two would be sent in the next  
attack, but when one of the Sailor Senshi eventually fell that  
would mean they would have one less for the next attack.  
The Senshi were mortal, and therefore weak.  
  
While the Gaki she had created from her own life essence were not  
as strong as her greatest warriors, the Seven Shadows, they had one  
cruical advantage over her lost minions, they knew their opponents. They  
knew their strengths, their tactics, and most importantly of all,  
their weaknesses...  
  
It was a foolproof plan.  
  
Too bad nobody bothered to tell a certain Cosmoknight that.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Again that unnamed place  
  
"A bold move, but you've left your King wide open."  
  
The ebony Queen seemed to ooze menace as it slid into  
position in front of the opposing ivory ruler.  
  
"Queen takes pawn, Check."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High  
  
"Prepare to face the wrath of the heavens, swine!"  
  
{Doesn't this guy ever shut up?! What's his problem anyway?}  
  
Ranma could honestly say that of all the  
people and creatures he'd ever met, Kuno  
was not the most annoying or even the most  
thickheaded. He'd run into people back in  
Rifts that made this guy look like a bona fide  
genius. But the loudmouthed kendoist definitely  
was up in the top ten and he had to repeat to himself  
over and over that "A Knight fights only to destroy evil and defend  
the innocent...this loudmouth isn't worth it...he's just stupid..."  
  
"Hah! I see that yon base frame doth tremble at the prospect of  
facing such a magnifience as mine own! Your foul hands clench in  
the grip of mortal terror at the sight on my noble blade!"  
  
{Isn't cruel and unusual punishment illegal on this world?}  
  
"This is pointless. I'm going to class."  
  
With that Ranma pointedly turned away and  
started walking.  
  
"You dare to try and flee from the raging  
wrath of Kuno!? Take this fool!!!"  
  
Kuno charged toward from behind with his bokken   
raised overhead to deliver a deadly slash aimed   
toward this insolent newcomer's back.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Nabiki looked shocked by her outburst.  
She wasn't the only one.  
  
*Chungggg*  
  
"Eh?!"  
  
Impossible! How had the cur avoided his perfect  
technique?! Instead of the satisfying sensation of his blade  
striking flesh he had merely cut a sizable hole in the school  
building's side.  
  
"Blast!"  
  
His second swing fared no better, a mere tree branch was  
severed instead of the legs he had been aiming for.  
This was fast wearing away the few bits of restraint that  
Tatewaki possessed. Was he not the greatest warrior in this school...no,  
on this planet...no, in the entire Universe!? How could this mere flea  
continue to elude his righteous blows?!!  
  
"Hold still! Cease thy infernal movement that spirits  
you away from the Blue Thunder's strikes!!"  
  
*Slash*  
Miss.  
*Slash*  
Missed again.  
*Slash*  
Sorry, better luck next time.  
  
"Um...that's the whole point of dodging."  
  
"Silence Fiend!"  
  
For just a brief moment he considered  
just ignoring the pompous buffoon and let him  
find out on his own that sticks and stones would  
NOT break Ranma's bones.  
  
"Demon! Honorless dog!! Fight me!!!"  
  
{Ah, the heck with it.}  
  
Throwing any pretense of caution aside, Ranma  
ran straight toward Kuno and the school doors behind him.  
  
"I have you!!"  
  
Kuno proclaimed triumphantly as  
he brought his sword to bear.  
  
*Swish*  
  
The running figure's lines blurred as he zoomed past  
the attempt to strike him down.  
  
At that moment the young knight did commit  
an error most grievous that would bring him only more headaches  
in the future. Even as he reached his class right before  
the bell rang the upperclassman remained outside, frozen in  
mid-swing by a small cluster of nerves in his wrist that had  
been hit just right. Unmoving except for a insane fire in his  
burning eyes.  
  
For he had a perfect view of his blade and the desecration  
performed upon it. It had been intended as a lesson of sorts,  
to give the young man time to think about the errors of his ways  
as he was forced to see the message left to him by the upstart  
newcomer.  
  
So it was that Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, did swear to have his revenge  
upon the foul sorcerer, for only the most dark and vile magic could have  
defeated a noble samurai warrior. He looked at his defiled sword and his  
rage burned ever hotter.  
  
Scratched deeply into the side of Tatewaki's bokken was one simple word.  
  
[Imbecile.]  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Noble Rook moved into position, putting the Dark Queen  
in peril now.  
  
"Ah, I didn't see that reversal..."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"What the heck is he doing?"  
  
The sounds of lots of big heavy things being  
moved around was quite noticeable.  
  
"You know how he is, always a performer at heart."  
  
Shadow didn't look up from where he was standing  
even as he answered his counterpart.  
  
"Does he really need that many speakers?"  
  
"Well he said he wanted to give the scenes a little more pizazz."  
  
"More like he's going to give us a temporary case of deafness at this  
rate."  
  
The Guardian really wished he'd gotten a pair of earplugs, the  
Half-elf's reputation was not without some basis in fact. In that  
minstrel's hands music was literally a lethal weapon.  
  
"I'm almost ready...."  
  
*SSSRRRRIIIEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCHHHHH*  
  
The feedback squeal nearly blasted the entire  
gathering into next Tuesday.  
  
"oops."  
  
"I TOLD YOU IT WAS A BAD IDEA TO LET HIM DO THAT!"  
  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! MAYBE IT  
WAS A BAD IDEA TO LET HIM BE IN CHARGE OF THE BGM."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Tokyo, T-minus 3 hours  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  
  
`Wow! This is so cool!"  
  
"The truck!! The truck!! Watch out for that TRUCK!!!"  
  
Driving with Mihoshi was a unique experience.  
The same way skydiving without a parachute is a  
unique experience. It wasn't that she was a bad driver,  
rather the detective seemed to have forgotten about a  
few basic concepts like inertia, gravity, and friction.  
  
"It's just like being in a rollercoaster!"  
  
Needless to say, Sasami was having the time of her life.  
  
"Look out! Wrong lane!! Wrong lane!!!"  
  
Kiyone was well on her way to a nervous breakdown.  
For the umpteenth time since buckling her seatbelt at the  
start of this little demolition derby from Heck she swore  
that she was never going to do this again. Kiyone made  
a lot of promises like that, sorta like how she always promised  
herself she would get a transfer and a new partner.  
  
"Oh...umm....now where are those brakes again?"  
  
The Eternally Innocent Blonde was oblivious to her passenger's  
reactions as it required all of her attention and reflexes at these speeds  
to keep the car from winding up as a metal and glass stain  
on the road.  
  
Her partner's skin was starting to turn the same color as her hair.  
  
Kiyone gave serious thought to praying for divine intervention.  
  
*thunk**smash**crunch*  
  
Mihoshi let out a nervous giggle.  
  
"Oops! Umm.....oh well, they didn't really need that sign anyway."  
  
Kiyone then considered fainting.  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Black Bishop moves to block."  
  
The named piece slid into place to defend the  
stronger piece from danger.  
  
In response a white pawn knocked off one of the opposing knights.  
  
"Cute, but that won't work a second time."  
  
~~~~~~  
-A certain temple, T-minus 1 hour 37 minutes 25 seconds  
  
"Keiichi, have you seen Skuld?"  
  
"No, I haven't seen her all day now that you  
mention it."  
  
"She must have gone out for ice cream again."  
  
"I'm sure she'll be fine Belldandy, Skuld's a big  
goddess now. Plus Banpei's not here either,   
she probably took him along too."  
  
"I hope you're right, I'm just worried that something  
bad is about to happen...."  
  
Once again Keiichi Morisato faced that age old dilemma.  
  
How do you reassure a goddess that is both smarter and  
more powerful then you could ever hope to be?  
  
Well...hot tea helps.  
  
~~~~~~  
Furinkan High  
  
"Class, I'd like you to welcome a new student recently  
arrived from China, Mr Ranma Saotome."  
  
Hushed whispering broke out.  
  
{"He's only a sophomore?!"}  
  
{"Wow! I thought for sure he was a senior..."}  
  
{"Looks so mature for his age..."}  
  
{"Sayuri! You already have a boyfriend!"}  
  
{"You can have Daisuke, good thing I brought an extra lunch with me."}  
  
{"No fair! Who wants that Akane chasing loser?!"}  
  
"Uh…hi."  
  
Ranma knew he was forgetting something important. But all the stares  
he was getting since he'd entered the room were making it hard to  
concentrate on remembering the customs of this time period.  
  
"Hello Ranma!" The all female chorus replied, their voices  
dripping with sugar and spice. The boys that were supposed to  
be in here had all mysteriously come down with some ailment just  
minutes earlier (a sudden need for spine transplants, perhaps).  
The predatory undertone to their greeting were completely missed by  
the uncomfortable target, though not by a glowering Akane. Just her luck  
that she wound up in the same class as that...that...  
  
{How dare he act like he's innocent! That womanizer!}  
  
Now he remembered! He was supposed to bow  
as a sign of respect to the class.  
  
"Ranma Saotome, at your service."  
  
Instead of the traditional polite gesture that the class  
was expecting, they were treated to a bow more  
fitting for a royal palace then a simple school classroom.  
  
"Wow! It's so romantic..."  
  
"Like a prince out of a fairytale..."  
  
"...We must not rest until one of us dates with him!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Juuban District, T-minus 45 minutes  
  
Trouble was brewing...  
  
Skuld looked a little guilty as she exited  
from the ice cream parlor, she knew she  
was supposed to tell one of the others or  
leave a note behind so that Belldandy, Keiichi,  
and Urd (yes, even her) wouldn't worry about where  
she was. But there had been a sale! A real honest to  
goodness half-price on all three hundred twenty seven  
flavors of that cold sweet ambrosia! Once she'd seen the  
advertisement in today's paper the next thing Skuld knew  
she was riding on Bampei and telling him to get the lead out.  
  
And it had been worth it. Oh had it ever been worth it!  
The sugar rush alone was enough to have the petite  
techno-goddess floating a few centimeters off the ground.  
Banpei, her trusty robot sidekick, was currently in scooter  
mode and parked a little further down the street.  
  
Skuld wasn't worried, Banpei's scanners would pick up  
any trouble way in advance and give her plenty of time  
to deal with it. Her patented super duper weapon system  
would easily wipe out any possible threats if they dared to  
show their faces here.  
  
She would not have been so confident had she known that  
Sailor Mercury's visor was just as high tech and the Sailor Senshi's  
attacks had grown over the years to such an extent as to match even  
divine craftsmanship. But Metall'a's minions had come prepared with  
just such an eventuality in mind. So quietly had they crossed over that  
even the Guardian of Time herself was unable to detect them...at  
first. So it was that while the guardian robot's screens remained clear,  
evil had already penetrated into the heart of the city and prepared to  
strike the first blows of their mistress's revenge.  
  
Skuld's morale would have plummeted even further had  
she noticed the watching darkness lurking above, where  
no shadows should be. A darkness that paid very close  
attention to the unsuspecting Goddess...  
  
Black Rook takes remaining Bishop.  
  
~~~~~  
Juuban District, T-minus 30 minutes  
  
Amazingly despite Kiyone's worst fears they had all arrived  
alive and in one piece. After taking a moment to kiss the sweet  
ground and then another one to verbally chastise her partner  
(i.e. screaming and ranting only to find that Mihoshi wasn't  
paying attention again) the three finally walked into the supermarket.  
  
For the youngest princess of Jurai, it was like stepping into her own  
little world, all these yummy ingredients to cook lots of delicious  
meals for everyone were stacked from floor to ceiling all around her.  
The smell of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices mixed with that of  
beef, fowl, fish, and cheese to become a heady perfume that tickled  
and teased the palate.  
  
Sasami loved the supermarket with a child's innocent glee, for it  
was here as in the kitchen that she wielded ultimate power. Washu  
knew science, Ayeka had manners and rituals, Kiyone carried the  
GP manual in her heart, Ryoko could party like no one else, and  
Mihoshi...Mihoshi...could...could...karaoke and knew the story  
of every soap opera in known Universe. But when it came to  
cooking, it was Sasami who they all bowed down to.  
  
Kiyone and Mihoshi quickly became loaded down by the little  
sprite's shopping list. Surprisingly there weren't many people  
shopping that day which left the usually bustling building rather  
quiet.  
  
In the silence a certain stomach growled.  
  
"Mihoshi!"  
  
"Waa! I'm sorry, but I'm just so hungry Kiyone!"  
  
"You just ate a few hours ago!"  
  
"But that was just breakfast!"  
  
"Well just wait till we get back to the house!"  
  
"I...I...I can't!"  
  
"Mi...ho...shi!"  
  
"Waa!"  
  
*Boom**Crash**  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
"This is all your fault Mihoshi!"  
  
"I'm sorry!"  
  
"Why me?! If I've offended some unknown deity and am  
being punished for it by this...then I'm sorry already!!"  
  
"Kiyone!!"  
  
"*Ack*...can't....breathe...let go..Mihoshi..."  
  
"Kiyone!!"  
  
A flood of tears worthy of the Anything Goes School  
poured onto the rapidly turning blue officer's new skirt.  
  
"...*gasp*...*everything going dark*...*must escape  
from hug of death*..."  
  
Somewhere in the excitement the third  
member of their party had vanished.  
  
~~~~  
  
The White Queen took the other rook.  
  
Now both sides had completely lost an advantage in the field.  
  
Yet Black still held the upper hand.  
  
{What are you planning old friend? This stratagem is only  
delaying the inevitable. You can't hope to win by staying on the  
defensive, not against me at any rate.....what are you up to?}  
  
(to be continued)  
  



	16. Chapter 3d: Here We Go!

Chapter 3d: Here We Go!  
~~~~~~~~  
  
-Alliance Space BGM: Return of the Jedi: The Fleet enters Hyperspace  
  
Like a small sea of shining jewels the largest armada of  
Rebel ships gathered in over a decade amassed at the edges   
of the Ristmoth system. Hidden from Imperial sensors by the  
gas and dust of the nearby asteroid belt, the final preparations  
for their attack were underway.  
  
"All wings reporting in."  
  
From the command ship a pleasant neutral female voice  
went about the task of getting the various task forces organized.  
  
"Red group standing by."  
  
"Green group standing by."  
  
"Gold group standing by."  
  
The various strike craft and bomber squadrons  
sounded off as they moved into position. They, along with  
the faster escort vessels, would spearhead the first strike.  
Their job was to engage the security perimeter defenses  
while the more heavily armed capital ships took out the orbital  
battle-stations and ground defenses. At the very rear of the armada  
were the troop carriers and heavy transports, accompanied by a smaller  
rear guard taskforce and the fleet's medical ships.  
  
"Alliance Corvette 119 assume point with Destroyer forces 4 and 9."  
  
"Understood HopeBringer. We're moving into place now."  
  
The Untamed Stallion's sleek lines seemed to radiate the predatory  
nature of the ship itself as it's four main engines powered up to   
maneuver the small (in comparison to the assorted heavy cruisers,   
battleships, and carriers) but deadly craft around its larger   
neighbors until it finally reached the very edge of the gathering.   
Two flights of twelve destroyers joined it, as well as their   
accompanying fighter patrols.  
  
"All ships are in position Admiral."  
  
"Prepare to make the jump into Hyperspace."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"I keep expecting someone to say 'Lock S-foils into attack formation'."  
  
"Don't give them any ideas!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
As the stars streaked into lines, the entire Alliance fleet made the  
transition to faster-then-light speed. In the space of a few seconds   
the area that they had occupied was cold and silent once more.  
  
A few minutes later, the first lights of battle lit up the  
early morning skies above the third planet of the system…..  
  
~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High  
  
Nabiki Tendo didn't care much for Tatewaki Kuno, but he was  
rich and the bills needed to be paid. So it was with some reluctance  
(and a substantial reduction in the weight of his wallet) that she  
finally dragged him into their class, the upperclassman still paralyzed  
by the nerve strike Ranma had delivered earlier that morning.  
  
She did get a fair bit of amusement from the look in his eyes at having  
to be dragged into class by the female he despised most. The word  
scratched into his prized weapon was worth a small laugh too, though  
she had to make sure that Kuno didn't see it. As long as he remained  
her biggest source of income she had to display at least the  
pretense of discretion around him.  
  
The raspy whisper was barely audible as locked vocal cords  
finally unfroze.  
  
"...damn...you...foul...sorcerer."  
  
"Looks like whatever he did to you is finally wearing off, Kuno baby."  
  
Nabiki's voice dripped with sympathy, or rather a severe lack of it.   
He had it coming for having every eligible boy in school chasing   
after Akane and leaving her out in the cold and without a date for   
every weekend of the school semester.  
  
"...I...despise...you."  
  
"I am *so* glad to hear that."  
  
Liquid magma would have frozen at that frosty tone.   
  
Unfortunately for all Humanity,   
stupidity is a natural insulator.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Juuban District T-minus 15 minutes  
  
Two girls ran headfirst into each other.  
  
*Crash*  
  
"Ooof!"  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
Royalty met Divinity.  
  
"Sorry about that!"  
  
"No, It's my fault. I should have watched where I was going."  
  
"My name's Sasami. What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Skuld, Goddess Second Class Limited...Oops!   
You didn't hear that from me!!!"  
  
If Urd learned about this she would never hear the end it!  
But something about this girl reminded her of Belldandy,  
it had simply felt wrong to try and hide anything from her.  
  
Sasami laughed at the look of sheer panic on the  
other girl's strangely marked face.  
  
For some strange reason she was reminded of Washu.  
That subtle aura of scientific mayhem was unmistakable.  
  
"You're silly."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Not So Nice Watchers  
  
They were obviously too young to be the Senshi,   
but such an opportunity couldn't be passed up.  
  
"Wait for my signal."  
  
Swiftly and silently the forces of darkness moved into an entrapment  
configuration, there would be no escape for the princess this time.  
  
Jedi'te and Malach'te exchanged a look, despise each other they  
might but both knew that they had no choice but to work together.  
  
The alternative wasn't even worth thinking about...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High  
  
"E equals mc squared."  
  
"42."  
  
"Boron."  
  
"Charles Dickens, Mary Shelly, Sir Francis Bacon."  
  
Mr. Yoshida didn't like disturbances in his average boring dead-end job,  
his idea of excitement was springing a pop quiz on the class on  
subjects that he'd never taught them. He was also one of the few  
instructors that had disapproved of the daily morning brawls for Akane.  
The uproar that had caused by this new student hadn't exactly pleased  
him either. For the past hour he'd attempted to demonstrate his superior  
intellect by throwing questions that were more appropriate for collage  
graduates then simple high school students. So far all his efforts had  
proven in vain.  
  
A fine sheen of sweat had started to build on   
the increasingly annoyed teacher's brow.  
  
Finally the balding man started to pull out the big guns,  
there was no way that this wise guy could possibly  
answer a question that had stumped the most brilliant  
scientific minds on Earth!  
  
"GUT, which was resolved by the discovery of the anti-graviton  
and harmonics of electromagnetic particle waves. The principle  
equation was the basis of all contra-gravity theory and led to  
faster-then-light drive development."  
  
Mr. Yoshida's jaw smacked painfully onto his desk. He shot an evil  
glance at the Saotome boy's slumped head. Bad enough that he was a  
bloody know it all, but literally answering the questions in his sleep  
was going too far!  
  
"Please keep your flights of fancy out of school Saotome.  
Making things up will only get you into trouble. In fact for  
not paying attention go stand out in the hall."  
  
"Sensei?"  
  
"GET OUT!!!"  
  
{"I thought that this was supposed to be a History class?"}  
  
Yuka whispered to Sayuri, disappointed by the loss of the  
view she had been getting from her seat behind Ranma.  
  
"Everyone else turn to page 576 of your text and get ready for a pop quiz!"  
  
The entire room groaned in dismay and more then  
one of the girls there gave serious thought to breaking  
a few rules in order to get out of class and join the  
cute new student in detention. The veins throbbing  
violently on the instructor's forehead and the slightly  
bloodshot maniacal look in his eyes was enough to  
discourage them however. Yoshida-san was going  
to make it his personal quest in life to utterly crush,  
humiliate, and otherwise make his new student's life  
completely miserable.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Holding the two heavy water filled metal buckets with  
his pinkies, Ranma yawned and tried to keep in mind that  
nothing exciting happening was supposed to be a *good* thing.  
  
If this was what Furinkan was normally like he decided that  
he should sleep in class more often. He could survive lasers,  
bombs, bullets, even magical girl speeches, but he had yet to  
find a defense against plain old boredom. The whole point of going  
back to school had been to start learning how to live in this planet's  
society without commiting too many gaffs that would reveal him for  
what he was. So far the results hadn't been very promising.  
Ranma wasn't sure who was wackier here, the students or the teachers.  
  
And it was only his first day attending this place.  
  
Maybe it wasn't too late for a transfer.  
Tomebiki High sounded good,   
or maybe the Ohtori Acadamy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
There are some Universal constants that hold true no  
matter how much the fabric of reality is reshaped and  
rewritten.  
  
For example; Akane Tendo will never be able to cook, Ryoga  
Hibiki will always lack a sense of direction, and Tatewaki  
Kuno...  
  
"WHAT? FIANCE?!"  
  
"Well actually Kuno, he..."  
  
"I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH A TRAVESTY!  
SAOTOME YOU FIEND!!!"  
  
{...managed to squirm out of it for the moment  
and he's just a guest of the family now. Not that  
you'd bother to listen once you set your mind on  
something. Honestly, you and Akane deserve each other.  
Everything goes in one ear and out the other.}  
  
The bored voice of educational authority interrupted  
the dramatic speech in mid-rant, much to the relief of  
those few students with a sense of good taste.  
  
"Go wait out in the hall Kuno."  
  
Grabbing two buckets, the *former* greatest fighter of  
Furinkan High ran out to rescue his beloved fierce flower.  
After ducking into a nearby empty locker for a moment, the  
sound of a shirt being ripped in two came from behind the door.  
  
"Never fear Akane! Kendo Champion Man is here!!"  
  
Out popped Tatewaki in his traditional samurai fighting gi  
with one addition, a big red cape. Recently he'd been exposed  
to a 24 hour marathon of poorly translated gaijin television  
programs by his father and there had been some lasting results....  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Juuban, T-minus 14 minutes  
  
Sasami's pink eyes widened in horror as she looked up  
and saw the dark forms descending behind Skuld.  
  
Her scream rang out loud and clear as a bell in the quiet district.  
  
A second scream joined her a moment later when the girl with  
strange markings on her face turned around.  
  
The youma thought that they had found easy prey, but though young,   
Skuld was a Norse goddess descended from Heaven's finest warriors  
and fighting ran in her blood. Once she got over her initial panic   
the monsters found out firsthand that their chosen victim wasn't quite  
as easy a target as they'd thought she'd be.  
  
"Banpei! Attack sequence #35 anti-monster mode! And make it quick!"  
  
The little robot beeped an acknowledgement even as Skuld pulled  
out her Bug Masher Mark II and brandished the dreaded atomic  
mallet. The faithful machine hopped up to defend its creator, a double  
rocket punch took care the first wave. The Gaki's forms were partially  
insubstantial , a protection against normal physical damage and some  
energies but useless against divine craftsmanship. Concussion grenades  
fired from two launchers that popped out of the robot's shoulders,  
scattering the evil creatures in every direction.  
  
Meanwhile the spunky patron of the future had not been idle as  
her invention's program ran its course.  
  
*TWHACK*  
*CRACK*  
*SMACK*  
  
"Neo-Skuld Bomb!!!"  
  
*KABOOM*  
  
It is a well known fact that a mallet in a woman's hands is   
the most dangerous weapon on Earth. When that woman happens to be   
a Goddess, heaven help the poor fool who has incurred her wrath.  
  
A lifetime of squashing bugs had given Skuld a strength that went  
beyond mere appearence as well as refined her technique over the  
millenia.  
  
Metall'a's forces never knew what hit them.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Wow! You did it! You beat them!!"  
  
Sasami was impressed and it showed, if Kiyone and  
Mihoshi could see this she bet they'd be amazed too.  
  
"Hah! That'll teach...them?! Hey! You're not supposed  
to get back up!!"  
  
Both girls paled a little as the fell creatures arose once more,  
seemingly unscathed by the blows they had taken just moments earlier.  
  
"BANPEI!!!"  
  
They could only watch helplessly as the dark swarm congregated  
on the more dangerous of the opposition. Ruthlessly the creatures  
attacked through the blasts and explosions to rend and tear at the  
metallic covering of their enemy. The valiant creation was pulled  
down by sheer numbers, fighting to the end.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Juuban, T-minus 10 minutes  
  
After such a long strained expectant wait, the first actual  
attack came as a kind of relief to the Senshi. Those that could  
transformed and headed toward the disturbance immediately.  
  
Those that couldn't were stuck in detention and trying their best  
to come up with a excuse to leave. It was going to take them awhile  
to catch up to the others and the shift schedule had already left the  
Sailor Senshi at barely two thirds strength. The first girls to  
arrive were going to find themselves badly outnumbered.  
Worse for them, the generals sent to Earth were expecting  
that and intended to take full advantage of this oppertunity.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
As the living nightmares closed in on the two  
frightened girls reinforcements finally arrived.  
  
"Shabon Spray!"  
  
A cold blue white fog filled the street, concealing  
everything from sight. Using it as cover Skuld and Sasami  
managed to put some distance between themselves and their  
pursuers.  
  
Jedi'te smiled maliciously, his revenge was finally at hand.  
Of all the Sailor Senshi, he hated Mercury, Mars, and that  
blasted Sailor Moon the most. It was all their fault that he'd  
been imprisoned in the horror of eternal sleep. The other two  
would get theirs soon, but Mercury would be at his mercy!  
  
"Not this time Sailor Failures. Today marks the beginning of my  
vengence and the end of you and your pathetic friends."  
  
Malach'te was of a similar mind as a giant bolt of green lightning  
and a yellow laser beam heralded the appearence of Sailor Jupiter  
and Sailor Venus. His palms crackled with dark energies that paled  
next to the black fire burning within his breast.  
  
"Take them!"  
  
The youmas rushed out to fullfill his order. In the span of a few  
heartbeats the three Senshi on the scene found themselves  
badly outnumbered and fighting for their very lives.   
No matter how many times they blasted, fried, or froze the  
horde, it would only slow them down, after a few moments  
to bioregenerate the monsters entered the fray once more.  
Even the appearence of Sailor Saturn a few minutes later   
failed to turn the tide, there were just too many of them.  
  
Saturn was hampered by the fact that they were in a commercial  
district and didn't dare risk using her destructive powers, the  
possibilty of civilian casualties was simply too high. Metall'a  
had planned her attack well, while the sailorsuited warriors were  
crippled by their morals her minions had no such qualms.  
  
As long as they got their targets it didn't matter who else got  
hurt in the process.  
  
A third Pawn fell to the Black Knight.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Sasami was starting to regret leaving the Galaxy Police  
officers behind while she did some more shopping on her own.  
  
{I wish Kiyone and Mihoshi were here right now!}  
  
She hadn't felt this frightened since Kagato had nearly trapped  
her and Tsunami. Except this time there was no Tenchi to save her.  
  
The Sailor Senshi were doing their best and even Skuld was  
getting into the thick of things with her mallet and explosives  
but even she could see what the likely outcome would be.  
The wraiths were too many and too hard to destroy,   
and they weren't fighting fair at all.  
  
"Someone please help us!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High (You Called?)  
  
A burning sensation suddenly enveloped   
one of the bucket carrying digits.  
  
"Yeouch!!"  
  
Ranma yelped in pain as he spilled the water all over the floor.  
Clutching his hand protectively, he looked to see that the ornate  
silver ring he wore was glowing slightly, that could only mean one  
thing...  
  
Sticking his head out a nearby window the young Knight started to  
look around, searching for any sign of the trouble that he was being  
warned of.  
  
{Now how am I going to find it? Give me a sign or something.}  
  
A blue geyser of flame exploded high into the sky from a  
city district not too far away, followed by the faint sound of  
multiple explosions and the scream of emergency vehicle  
sirens.  
  
{Call me crazy, but I think that's where I need to go.}  
  
Reflexively he leaped up to avoid the bucket full of dirty  
mop water hurled at him by the upperclassman charging  
toward him with a full head of steam.  
  
"What's your problem now Kuno?"  
  
Ranma asked distractedly as he tried to think of  
a plausible excuse to leave the campus without  
raising suspicion. From what he'd seen so far,  
he might not even have to.  
  
"NEVER! NEVER, Ranma Saotome!! I will never accept  
your engagement..."  
  
"Hey! Now just wait a second here!! I ain't engaged to nobody!!"  
  
"...to fair Akane!!!"  
  
{Arrrggghhh!!! Why me?!}  
  
*ZHOOP*  
  
The windows behind Kuno slid open  
in response to the shocking news.  
  
"WHAT!?"  
"Engagement?!"  
"NO!!! She's stolen another one!!"  
"I thought she was you know, *nudge nudge* *wink wink*."  
  
The crowd's mood was starting to turn ugly.  
There was only so much they were willing to  
put up with, having both the most popular girl in  
school and now the most eligible boy both rendered  
unavailable was simply going too far.  
  
"Wait!! It's not true!! Our parents decided!!   
Who'd want to marry a pervert like him anyway!!"  
  
Ranma would have been tempted to ask Akane where  
she had come up with that pervert crack if it hadn't  
been for the insistant spiritual tug he was getting from  
the little trinket he was wearing. He started running  
toward the nearest available exit with a sword swinging  
caped nutcase following close behind.  
  
The mob of students with Akane at their head followed  
a few seconds later. The marathon passed the pool side of the  
building and made a left toward the side that faced the soccer field.  
  
"Stand your ground coward!"  
  
"I don't have time for this Kuno! And for the record   
I'm not engaged to any of the Tendos!!"  
  
"Liar! Relinquish your hold on Akane!!"  
  
Ranma leaped out the nearest open window without  
another word. He was severely tempted to demonstrate  
his control of multidimensional profanity but managed to  
resist...barely.  
  
"You think to escape me?! I follow!!"  
  
"HEY! This is the THIRD FLOOR!!"  
  
The speaker's jaw dropped a moment later as he saw the new  
student make a three point landing by one of the large oaks  
next to the school building.  
  
Kuno wasn't as fortunate, in his haste   
he had jumped out a little too far.  
  
*Crack*  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Elsewhere  
  
There was a brief moment of respectful silence among  
the men of the gathering, several of the heroes doffed  
their hats and muttered a few ancient prayers as they  
averted their eyes.  
  
"Well, I think I'm emotionally scarred for life now."  
  
The Bard squeeked in a high pitched voice.  
His legs, like the others, were crossed tightly  
in instinctive reflex.  
  
"Knock on wood anyone?"  
  
The groans at that horrible pun nearly drowned  
out the whimpers from the more sensitive members  
of the audience.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan  
  
Slowly, ever so slowly Tatewaki slid from where he'd  
landed, clutching himself where he'd had the misfortune to  
encounter a very large and very, very solid branch.  
  
Ranma was already long gone much to the disappointment  
of the students who'd been expecting a entertaining fight.  
  
Nabiki was not amused when she heard about this.  
  
~~~~~~~  
Tokyo, T-minus 5 minutes  
  
Even as he moved across the roofs of the city at a pace  
that would give most cheetahs a heart attack Ranma was  
hoping for a fight. He was just itching for something to  
work off the frustrations of his first day at school.  
  
But first there were certain formalities that needed to be followed.  
Cosmoknights had the ability to transform for a very good reason.  
  
"Cosmic Armor up!"  
  
A bright flash of white surrounded him as  
Ranma's assumed his true form and became   
the Forces' of Evil's worst nightmare.  
  
The energies involved in the transformation did not go  
unnoticed, even with the ring's jamming in place that much  
power being released all at once was impossible to fully conceal.  
  
Especially from the greatest scientific genius in the Universe,  
the Guardian of Time, and a Goddess First Class Unlimited.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Aaaa!!!"  
  
"Setsuna!! Haven't you ever heard of a thing called privacy?!"  
  
"You can indulge in your love play later, get your uniforms on  
and get ready to move out. I've finally gotten a trace on the Invader."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Somehow the media had found a news crew brave  
enough (or stupid enough) to televise the battle  
between the famous Sailor Senshi and the horrible  
monsters tearing up a good sized portion of prime  
real estate.  
  
So it was that every household in Japan with a  
television on got a special live coverage of the  
battle and some of the events that would follow it.  
  
In fact, a tape of this scene would eventually be rebroadcast  
on an international scale, something Ranma would not find out  
until much later unfortunately.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Juuban, T-minus 1 minute  
  
Sailor Jupiter clutched her bruised ribs with her good arm  
as she stumbled back from the line of fire. A dazzling Love and  
Beauty Shock bought them all enough time to catch their breaths,  
but things looked grim. The little girl with strange markings and  
the big hammer had been clipped by a blow that would have caved  
in her skull had it connected fully. As it was she was barely  
conscious and had been dragged back to relative safety by the  
cute little blue haired girl.  
  
Venus was limping slightly and her normally cheerful blue eyes  
showed signs of strain and exhaustion. Mercury's uniform had  
become a two piece set and the ugly bruises to her shoulders and  
midriff would take a while to heal even with the accelerated recovery  
provided by their Senshi transformations. Saturn had fared the best  
out of all of them despite the fact that main concentration  
of attacks had gone to her. With the Silence Glaive and  
her Silence Wall to protect her from their blows she had  
actually managed to destroy a number of quick healing monsters.  
But for every one that fell, half a dozen were ready to take its place.  
  
The sheer amount of special attacks that all the Senshi had  
been using had taken its toll, they could all feel themselves  
getting weaker with every second of fighting that passed.  
It was only a matter of time now, then the two Generals  
waiting patiently behind their minions would move in for the kill.  
  
Even though things looked hopeless the Sailor Senshi fought on,  
they wouldn't give their enemies the satisfaction of just giving up  
and being slaughtered like sheep in butcher's shop.  
  
~~~~~~~  
T-minus 20 seconds  
  
Disaster struck.  
  
One of the larger youma broke  
through their desperate last stand  
to go after the two girls that the Senshi  
had been doing their best to protect.  
  
Only Sailor Saturn had stood in the seven foot  
hulk's way and she was swatted back only to  
trip over Skuld's semiconscious form.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
T-minus 15 seconds  
  
Her glaive skittered off to the side with a metallic  
clang of finality. There was no way she could possibly  
reach it in time. With a sort of morbid fascination Saturn  
watched the inky black clawed limb raise for the death blow.  
Then a small form got between her and the monster and  
spread its arms out in defiance.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
T-minus 12 seconds  
  
It took all of Sasami's courage to not  
run away screaming from the horror she  
faced, but she couldn't just let the girl who  
had been fighting to protect her and the others  
be killed. The youma didn't even hesitate, her death  
simply meant that the amount of life energy  
they would rip from her body would double  
and three kills instead of only two.  
  
The grotesque appendage reached its peak and  
then descended.  
  
Sasami, Skuld and Sailor Saturn shut their  
eyes as they braced for the final blow.  
  
It came impossibly silent, impossibly fast.  
  
Someone screamed.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
T-minus 10 seconds  
  
A gust of heated air rushed up against her  
trembling form. Slowly, unable to believe  
that she was still alive, Sasami opened her eyes.  
  
The monster that had been in front of her  
was gone, only a large smouldering crater in the  
street where it had been standing just moments  
earlier remained.  
  
"How?" The Warrior of Silence asked softly, relief at not  
having to die again left her limbs as weak as wet  
spagetti.  
  
"Urd, is that you?" Skuld's head ached even as she  
tried to find any sign of her older sister.  
  
"WHO DID THAT?!" Malach'te and Jedi'te both yelled  
out in shocked fury as their eyes finally recovered from the  
blinding light that had just come out of nowhere and wrecked  
their careful plans.  
  
As if in common accord everyone (as well as the only  
working camera there) turned toward the direction  
that the mysterious beam had come from.  
  
BGM: Iczelion Opening Instrumental  
  
...5...  
  
The Senshi's eyes widened as they looked up. This  
definitely wasn't Tuxedo Kamen! Sasami let out a  
cheer as she beheld the awesome figure standing above.  
  
...4...  
  
The youma instinctively knew that this newcomer  
was an enemy, a very dangerous enemy. Fear swept  
through them and even affected the hardened Generals  
as they beheld the terrifying apparition. More then mere  
physical appearence, this newcomer radiated an aura  
power that made the hair at the back of Malach'te's  
neck stand on end.  
  
...3...  
  
-Masaki Household  
  
"Oh no! Sasami!! Miss Washu do something!!  
My sister is in danger!!!"  
  
"Come on Ryo-ohki! Let's go!!"  
  
"Right behind you sis!"  
  
Minagi was already in her combat outfit, but it was a  
toss up as to which one of them was more intimidating  
at the moment. The house odds currently favored Ryoko.  
  
"Hold it!"  
  
"Miss Washu?!"  
  
"Look!"  
  
"What in Tsunami's name is that?!"  
  
"It looks like...my soon-to-be new guinea pig!"  
  
...2...  
  
-A familar temple  
  
"Skuld?!"  
  
"What's she doing all the way over in Juuban?"  
  
"And what in Heaven's name is THAT?!"  
  
...1...  
  
The Cavalry had arrived.  
  
And as the Knight moved into place,  
it came within striking distance of the  
Dark King.  
  
Check.  
  
(to be continued)  



	17. Chapter 3e: Let's Rock!

  
~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3e: Let's Rock!  
~~~~~~~~  
  
For that pure undiluted spine-tingling atmosphere of excitement,  
nothing beat the classics. And when you have a semi powerful  
nearly cosmically talented demi-human musician in charge of the  
gosh darn biggest speaker system ever set up in the past several  
thousand years with a full case of movie and anime music CDs at  
his disposal...well...  
  
"Popcorn?"  
  
"No thanks."  
  
The giant widescreen 3-D viewer had been a nice touch too.  
Craning one's head to look down into a small pool for hours on end  
only benefited one's chiropractor. So now the couple hundred or so  
entities that had been watching and making side wagers on the events  
taking place were now all comfortably seated and ready for the  
mayhem to resume.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
While they are feared and reviled by the Kreeghor, hated by  
the Splugorth, loathed by demons and alien intelligences, and  
absolutely despised by Genesplicers, Necromancers, Dominators,  
and other assorted baddies, even the most megalomaniacal of their  
enemies respect the potential power of even the most novice  
of CosmoKnights. A respect that more often then not turns  
to fear when facing a veteran Knight, and with good reason.  
Most CosmoKnights are usually killed or fall from grace within  
the first three years of assuming their role as Guardians of the  
Cosmic Forge. Those that survive accumulate enough experience  
that only a full scale armada or the most ancient beings of darkness  
have a prayer of actually killing them.  
  
Along with that experience comes a hard earned knowledge of  
what not to do when confronting an unknown supernatural enemy  
who has superior numbers. The first and most important rule is to never,  
*ever* confront them head on. Common military wisdom holds that  
it's best to divide and conquer whenever possible. The vast majority  
of CosmoKnights felt it was folly to go against conventional tactics.  
  
Ranma Saotome wasn't one of them.  
  
It was a risky course he had chosen, one that allowed for no  
mistakes if he was to have any chance of success. By not  
immediately engaging after firing that one blast he'd forfeited  
the advantage of surprise, a mistake more suited for a beginner  
rather then a warrior with Ranma's experience.  
  
But he didn't care, in fact he had a lot of unrelieved pent up  
stress and frustration to vent right now and so wasn't thinking  
very clearly at the moment. Being forced to leave his ship and  
crew behind during rumors of a new assault being planned against  
the Empire, the discovery that his father had treated him like a  
damn commodity to be traded for whatever the old bear wanted, the  
stupid engagement they'd tried to force on him, that viper Kuno with  
his words of slander, and now this.....  
  
The bastards were attacking children.  
  
That was it. The final straw. They had crossed the line  
and all bets were off. Forget sensible, forget stratagy.  
He was going to send this scum to Hell in a handbasket  
one piece at a time.  
  
It was stupid, it was foolhardy, and it was totally reckless.  
  
His former weapons instructer would probably have applauded.  
  
~~~~~~~  
BGM: Maze Opening: Megaburstspace  
  
...0...  
  
A CosmoKnight in full armor is one of the  
most impressive sights one can see in the  
Multiverse even when one knows what  
to expect.  
  
Standing nearly seven feet tall, the metallic  
black armor's design was somehow reminiscent  
of a high tech powered combat suit combined with  
the more sleek lines of modern padded body armor  
that molded along him like a second skin.  
  
The helm was beautiful and inhuman at the  
same time, envoking the image of a bird of prey  
or perhaps even a more fantastical predator.  
  
In fact he looked more like some great dark metal  
angel then a man. The small protrusions along the  
back even vaguely resembled razor sharp wings.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Looks like one of the Iczelions except with  
more coverage."  
  
"Really? I thought it was more along the lines of  
Tekno-man meets Transformers."  
  
"You're both nuts, he looks more like Macross  
crossed with Triax."  
  
"Well, it's very impressive anyway."  
  
"On that we're all in agreement."  
  
"Uh oh....that's going to be trouble."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Take a look at that little design on his left breastplate."  
  
A moment of shocked silence descended.  
  
"Damn, you didn't..."  
  
"She did."  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"Oh my."  
  
"Oh hell."  
  
"Already checked the book, no rule says it can't be done."  
  
"You are one devious Cosmoknight, aren't you."  
  
"Flattery gets you in trouble."  
  
~~~~~~  
  
For a long moment Ranma's armored form  
regarded the horde of smoky shifting forms.  
No two of them were alike, some bore a  
resemblance to certain predatory invertebrates,  
others appeared to possess a more reptilian nature,  
and the remaining few were grotesque mockeries  
of the humanoid form that were too horrible for mere  
words to describe. It was not a sight for the faint of heart,  
for by his hurried count they outnumbered him over 46 to 1.  
  
And then he was upon them like a merciless dark bolt  
of Divine Retribution(tm). Ranma's earlier gamble  
had paid off, unaccustomed to feeling the terror  
that they themselves inflicted on the puny mortals,  
the youma were crippled for those first few precious  
seconds of the melee.  
  
His first enraged punch tore the head off of something that  
looked like a giant mantis with traits of a scorpion and a octopus,  
it's mandibles continued to click in denial even as the macabre  
missile went flying back with enough force to slam into a  
telephone pole. The reinforced titanium proved harder then the  
luckless youma's skull, splattering it like an overripe melon.  
  
Even as the first body started to disintegrate into dust  
a side kick from Ranma buried itself so deeply into another  
gaping Gaki's scaled midriff that its back bulged impossibly  
outwards. Its fanged maw opened in a futile attempt to scream  
even as an open palm drove the front portion of its skull in and  
reduced the contents to processed jelly.  
  
Three more of the disgusting monsters fell before the rest  
finally recovered enough to start fighting back. They closed in  
on all sides, trying to overwhelm him with sheer numbers  
as they had done to the Sailor Senshi. Special attacks of every  
possible description were released from innumerable orifices.  
Gouts of dark red flame, streams of sizzling green acid, puffs of  
noxious purple gas, wicked barbed spikes, even a occasional bolt  
of bio-electricity was fired toward the intimidating CosmoKnight.  
In addition those closest to him tried to pin Ranma down in hand to  
hand combat long enough for their foul brethren to finish him off.  
  
But it was like trying to hit the wind, no matter how hard they  
tried the Knight was never where they aimed at. More then once  
they wound up striking each other in their attempts to hit him.  
He was running them in circles, using his superior speed and agility  
to keep them off balance as he picked them off one or two at a time.  
The few hits that Ranma took were absorbed by his Cosmic armor  
and amounted to little more then a few scratches that quickly  
dissappeared thanks to its remarkable regenerative properties.  
  
The two generals watched in unbelieving shock as their forces  
were wittled away youma by youma. Even bioregeneration was  
insufficient to heal the grevious damage being inflicted on their troops.  
Something had to be done before all of their forces were wiped out!  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Finally they managed to keep Ranma in one place long enough to  
dogpile him, burying him underneath a squirming black hill of monsters  
that clawed and tore away at the nearly impenetrable protection  
surrounding him.  
  
Malach'te's cruel eyes narrowed as he saw the opportunity presented.  
  
"Now's our chance! Blast him!"  
  
Jedi'te looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"But the youma are in the way!"  
  
"So what? Do you want to report a failure to Metall'a?"  
  
"Good point."  
  
Together the two let loose a devastating  
barrage of magical energy that enveloped  
the entire area in a sequence of white   
hot explosions.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A gasp of dismay arose from the spectators  
as their savior vanished in the inferno of destruction  
wrought by the villainous pair. Nothing could have  
possibly survived that hellish holocaust. As the glare  
subsided a little behind them the generals swiveled to face  
the battered Senshi. The few remaining youma still in one  
piece (more or less) began to close in. It was obvious to all that  
the heroes were on their last legs, only sheer stubborness still kept  
them standing. Even Sailor Saturn had somehow manged to struggle  
back to her feet and stood with the others on shaking legs that  
threatened to give out at any moment.  
  
"So, you little girls are still defiant. No matter, it  
doesn't make any difference in the end! Time to  
be embraced in the arms of oblivion!"  
  
Manical Ranting 101 is not a required course for  
demented supervillians, but it should be.  
  
"Think again."  
  
On the other hand Witty Retorts 241 *is* standard  
material for all true heroes. And the look on their  
prissy faces was worth spoiling another opportunity for  
a surprise attack. Stepping through concrete that had  
become runny and sticky due to the tremendous residual heat,  
Ranma's armored form emerged unharmed from the heart of the  
conflagration with a pale blue glow surrounding him. A deathly chill  
descended down the spines (or in several cases, exoskeletons) of  
the surviving forces of Darkness, what did it take to stop this thing?!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I think I like this guy, talk about devious and  
sneaky sleight of hand...."  
  
"Come again Shadow? How the heck did he manage to  
survive that? Even with the armor he should have sustained  
some injury."  
  
"He used his invincibility power tattoo to absorb the blast,  
see how the blue aura surrounding him is nearly transparent now?  
Normally it'd be really bright, but its protection is almost all  
used up. But now those little baddies think that Ranma is some  
kind of monster, in fact I'd wager that the foppish duo are wetting  
their pants right about now."  
  
"You're on, fifty platinum says you're wrong."  
  
It was almost too easy.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Get him! Get him!!"  
  
None of the remaining monsters made a move  
to follow Jedi'tes slightly hysterical shouting.  
They had no intention of confronting that one  
again anytime soon, seeing so many of their  
fellows being massacred so easily had cowed  
the normally ferocious beings. The youma were  
evil, not suicidal. Metall'a had to be told of this  
new threat immediately.  
  
In spite of the threats and direct orders given to  
them, one by one they teleported back to the  
shifting darkness of the Negaverse, leaving the  
two villains alone with a very annoyed celestially  
powered being that was capable of taking on large  
alien warships...and winning.  
  
"Since you two have already given me   
your best shot, guess it's my turn."  
  
The Malach'te and Jedi'te were already opening  
fire with dark blasts of Negative energy that  
dissipated the last wisps of the protective aura  
surrounding the Knight's armored form.  
  
Then there was a snap of rapidly displaced air  
followed by a minature sonic boom as Ranma  
went from 0 to 1,200 mph in less then three  
seconds.  
  
Only sheer reflexes saved the blond Jedi'te from meeting  
the same fate as his minions. A nanosecond before black  
metal knuckles crushed his face in his telekinetic  
forcefield snapped into place and the killing blow  
meant for him smashed into it. A spectacular  
shower of sparks erupted from the point of impact.  
A noticable dark stain started to spread down  
the front of the pale twitching general's long pants  
as his eyes crossed to stare at the hand that would  
probably have been squishing deep into his grey  
matter if his psychic based defense had been even a  
hair slower.  
  
Malach'te's slightly crossed legs hid his secret  
shame a little better. He'd never thought that  
anything could move that bloody fast!  
  
{By all that is unholy, what kind of monster is that?!!!}  
  
Jedi'te's relief at having narrowly avoided  
a gruesome death was short lived as  
Ranma withdrew his fist only to start throwing  
a dozen rapid fire punches in the blink of an  
eye at the barrier seperating him from his quarry.  
  
Hits that could crush a heavy tank like an empty  
aluminum can struck the solid energy shield at  
supersonic speeds. The intense tempo pounded  
on relentlessly as the substantial amounts of kinetic  
energy being delivered were absorbed and converted to  
thunderous sound. Almost immediately shimmering cracks  
started to form on the nearly transparent surface as the forcefield  
started to buckle under the incredible hammering it was taking.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Arrrgghhh!!!"  
  
"You should have known better Guardian."  
  
"I'll just add it to his tab."  
  
Shadow rolled his eyes a little as he continued to watch.  
  
"I guess the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken is going to be a little  
redundant. The look on Cologne's face should be priceless."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sailor Mercury finally managed to pry her jaw  
off the ground and through a heroic effort of willpower  
managed to tear her eyes away from the spectacle  
unfolding before her.  
  
A quick glance at the others revealed  
they were similarly mesmerized by all that  
damage being caused by that one man, if there  
really was a man behind that stern faceplate.  
  
While she was very grateful for the  
*just in the nick of time* rescue, seeing  
how casually and effectively he inflicted  
such brutal violence was extremely disturbing.  
Especially since they had no idea as to who's side  
this guy was on, sure he was fighting against the  
Negaverse at the moment, but if he decided that  
the Senshi were enemies too the results would  
most likely be....extremely unpleasant.  
  
Mercury didn't even have to think to activate  
her visor, it had become as natural as breathing  
to her. But the results were not what she expected.  
Instead of a detailed readout listing the figure's  
power level, structural composition, possible  
weak points, and just about anything else possible  
that her sensors could detect, all she got was static  
punctuated every now and then by brief spikes of  
high energy that had her computer throwing a fit.  
It couldn't determine if it was Senshi energy, Negaverse  
energy, or something totally alien to this Universe.  
  
One thing was for sure, she *really* didn't  
want to have to fight this guy, no matter what  
Sailor Pluto had told them about Rifters.  
  
"I want one of those." Sailor Jupiter sighed, surely  
all of that well defined muscle tone wasn't just the armor.  
  
Sailor Venus just nodded her head in agreement.  
It was getting rather warm over here all of a sudden.  
  
The expression on Saturn's face was unreadable.  
But she never took her eyes off Ranma for a second  
as he continued to fight.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-That darned temple again  
  
"What?! For your eyes only?!"  
  
The platinum haired goddess continued to  
hold the phone long after the click of a dial  
tone ended her call. Skuld was in trouble and  
their father was worried about keeping secrets?!  
  
"Is something wrong Urd?"  
  
"I think Father has been watching  
that Ian Fleming marathon  
on cable again."  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
Belldandy was a fine example of the power of  
positive thinking and her prayers sent toward  
Juuban had a greater impact then most.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
BGM: Ranma 1/2 Movie 1: Seven Lucky Gods vs Team Ranma  
  
Dozens of deadly explosive black spheres hurtling toward him  
forced Ranma to disengage before he finished busting through  
the terrified life essence's telekinetic forcefield. It was also at  
that moment that Jedi'te finally remembered that he possessed  
several supernatural abilities useful in situations like this, such  
as the ability to teleport. He did so immediately.  
  
Hovering several dozen feet off the ground Malach'te released  
yet another small swarm of marble-sized death at his quickfooted foe.  
Again Ranma was long gone before the balls were anywhere  
near enough to do any possible damage. In return he grabbed and  
threw a loose piece of pavement about the size of a bowling ball  
with crackshot accuracy and a physical force equal to that  
generated by a small cannon.  
  
It blew up harmlessly against the sorcerer's magical forceshield.  
And to make things matters even more unfair to boot, the sneaky  
SOB had teleported too. This time he reappeared a safe distance  
behind the Knight before raining blue bolts of magical destruction  
in a spread pattern to limit Ranma's ability to get out of the way.  
It looked Jedi'te would join in the fun as soon as he got  
over his fright and his normal malicious nature reasserted  
itself.  
  
Now that was starting to finally get Ranma annoyed.  
Magic users were always a pain to deal with even in the best  
of circumstances and the little free for all with those wimpy  
monsters had finally cooled the roaring heat of his anger down  
to glowing embers.  
  
It looked like it was time to start bringing out the big  
guns...the *really* BIG guns.  
  
Hidden beneath his faceplate, Ranma smiled knowingly.  
  
{Oh partner, it's time to come out and play.}  
  
[You say the sweetest things.]  
  
The two villians paused in their attack as some long  
dormant hint of common sense registered that  
something very *bad* was happening.  
  
The space around Ranma's outstretched right hand shifted  
and shimmered as ripples of extradimensional fabric parted  
to reveal Ishtar in all her shining glory.  
  
Gold, silver, and ivory intertwined into one to form a hilt  
emblazoned with symbols that had been old when this world  
was still cooling from its fiery creation. A silver angel with  
wings of purest gold served as the crossguard for the magnificient  
Rune Sword. The ornamentation was neither gaudy nor simple, rather  
it was just enough to give the blade a powerful presence without  
making its appearence cheap and overblown. Two tiny wingless ivory  
dragons uncurled from the handle to come around Ranma's wrist and form  
the beginnings of a pure white kote over his armor.(1)  
Twin white curved talons branched out over his knuckles to add an extra  
layer of protection that could also be used for attack.  
  
In short, it was a very impressive sight.  
  
The two servants of Metall'a took one look at  
her and promptly fouled their suits.  
  
"Oh shit!!!"  
  
Malach'te's mouth opened and closed, but for  
once he'd been rendered completely speechless.  
Greatest Rune Weapons tend to have that effect  
on those who recognize them for what they truly are.  
  
"Welcome to the Big Leagues boys."  
  
(to be continued)  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) Japanese armored sleeve, Thanks Gregg  



	18. Chapter 3f: Why Ask Why?

~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3f: Why Ask Why?  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It had not been a good day for the forces of Evil.  
And now it was about to get a whole lot worse.  
  
But mindful of the horrible punishment awaiting them  
if they returned in failure, the villianous pair were  
determined to try and defeat the intimidating armored figure  
opposing them or at least find out more about his capabilities  
before having to retreat.  
  
Hovering at what they believed to be a safe distance, about  
fifty feet above the street, the generals fell back to their tactic  
of attacking from a distance with their lethal supernatural abilities.  
The fact that this strategy hadn't worked before didn't deter them  
from using it again. Their initial fright at the sight of a Rune weapon  
was eclipsed (just barely) by their fear of their mistress's wrath.  
The sword was only dangerous if it could reach them after all,  
but her grasp stretched across the dimensions.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Unfortunately for Metall'a's minions, Ishtar happened to be one of  
the Splugorth's latest models, or so was commonly believed. Perhaps  
it would be more accurate to call her the Asgardian Dwarves' final  
masterpiece before their secrets were stolen and perverted by the  
dimensional invaders. The sword itself had remained hidden for eons,  
a lifeless shell awaiting the proper rituals that would bind a helpless  
soul into the weapon's heart for all eternity. Even the entrapped goddess  
didn't know the true age of the ancient weapon, it had been old when  
she was was first assimilated into it and that had been untold ages ago.  
Time had little meaning to those it did not touch.  
  
For what purpose had such a cruel yet hauntingly beautiful  
thing been intended for? She had often wondered about that  
during those long stretches when she was not being wielded  
by her owner, when she was truly alone. Perhaps it was just  
a silly whimsy but Ishtar felt sure that there had to be some  
greater destiny that they had yet to fulfill. At the very least  
it helped her stay sane, yet recently there had been more then  
a hint of truth to support her belief in a larger plan at work.  
  
Since her creation the sword had known many owners,  
a few had been good creatures of renown, but far too  
many had turned out to be inhuman monsters that had  
forced the proud spirit to cater to their sadistic whims.  
Each one had used her differently from the rest, through  
some process that she still didn't understand the powers  
accessible from the Rune Blade varied with the individual  
who possessed Istar. At least that was how it had been,  
until Ranma had come and freed the sword from her last  
master, a ancient Intelligence that was twisted and corrupt  
even by the loose standards of the Splugorth.  
  
He was different, and not just because she loved him. Ranma  
was truly her first, never before had the lonely soul residing  
within formed such a complete bond with her owner. He  
completed her, filling the dark emptiness and making the  
longing spirit whole once more. The boy, who was in truth  
more of a man then many she had met (both before and after  
her imprisonment), had unlocked the powers of healing and  
rejuvenation that had been buried so deeply within that Ishtar  
had thought them long since lost to the ages.  
  
In his hands Ishtar had finally become the weapon of Life  
the she was originally intended to be and the sword would  
defend that cherished link between them at any cost. A link  
that not only shielded Ranma's mind but also provided a  
early warning system that increased his combat effectiveness  
tenfold by keeping him one step ahead of his opponents.  
  
A Cosmoknight might not be able to use the mystical "Force" one  
of his instructors had once told him about, but with Ishtar in hand  
he could certainly fake it. Small wonder that the Sploogies had put  
out such an obscene reward on his head.  
  
So when Malach'te and Jedi'te hurled a volley of levin-bolts,   
(bluish white torpedoes of pure magical fury) at Ranma,   
it came as quite a nasty surprise to see him twirl his sword   
in a defensive weave that not only managed to parry every one   
of their attacks but also sent the projectiles hurtling back to their points of origin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-A short distance away  
  
"Are you getting it all?"  
  
The News 5 anchor looked as close to total ecstasy  
as a normal person can get (short of summoning the  
monster with two backs), what had been another boring  
day of noodle shops and long interviews with middle aged  
housewives had turned into the opportunity of a lifetime.  
First the famous Sailor Senshi and now this! He could see  
the headlines now: "Japan's newest superhero; The Knight Hawk!"  
or some such junk that the public would eat up.  
  
Never mind that they didn't even know who he was,  
just imagine the awards and accompanying pay raise  
for this brilliant stroke of journalistic luck!  
  
"I'm getting it! I'm getting it! I just ain't believing it!"  
  
The camera man was entertaining similar fantasies.  
The tabloids were going to pay a fortune for his story.  
Heck, this might be enough to finally pay off the camera  
loan from that Nabiki girl.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well, now we know he's definitely been  
hanging around with the Jedi."  
  
The Guardian slumped back, having long ago given up  
trying to comprehend the insanity of this complex  
timeline and just had decided to just keep accepting  
it on faith. He squinted a bit to get a better of look at  
Ranma's movements, it looked more like dancing then  
martial arts swordplay from here.  
  
"Some of that foot work seems strangely familar."  
  
"That's because he's using parts from *MY* fighting style!!!"  
  
Now Shadow looked rather peeved. He turned toward Zora  
and asked the obvious question.  
  
"There are only five people in the Multiverse who have ever used  
that particular style of sword fighting. Two are dead, one's an evil  
assassin scum and I know for sure that I didn't teach it to him,  
so who..."  
  
He saw that "gleam" in her eye. The same one that she'd had  
every time some new insanity sprung up to add to the already  
chaotic nature of her Bet.  
  
"...Oh no..."  
  
Shadow could do math as well as anyone else. Five minus  
four meant that there was only one possibilty left.   
  
A moment later Zora confirmed his worst fears.  
  
"Ranma deserved the best instructor."  
  
"But why HIM?! That guy's even more reckless then *I* am!"  
  
{"I wouldn't be so sure about that."}  
  
"Your point?"  
  
That seemed to silence him as he tried in vain to  
muster a counterargument.  
  
Seeing that Rowan seemed to know what was going on  
again (like always), the curious musican directed   
his query to him.  
  
"What gives?"  
  
"Ranma's using a modified Drow fighting stance,  
which also happens to be the same one that Shadow  
favors in combat."  
  
"A Drow fighting stance?!"  
  
Comprehension started to dawn, The Bard's home  
dimension was a backwater place but it wasn't  
*that* out of touch with the other worlds. (1)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Masaki Household  
  
Washu Habuki was both intrigued and frustrated,  
a combination that spelled nothing but trouble  
for the poor soul who had attracted her interest  
(something a certain Tenchi Masaki had learned  
through first hand experience).  
  
These camera devices were so primitive!  
How was she supposed to get the scientific  
data she needed on that interesting specimen  
when the blasted things couldn't even register  
the infrared spectrum?  
  
Her hyperdimensional keyboard was already  
being put to work analyzing the scant information  
being provided by the broadcast. That fighting style  
was like nothing she had ever seen before and there  
was no match to be found in a cross-reference  
against the Universal database either, something  
Washu would have previously sworn was impossible.  
There was also that remarkable interaction with a  
extra-dimensional pocket of subspace, something  
that should be lightyears beyond the inhabitants of  
this backwards little planet. And then there was that  
sword! Without proper testing she couldn't know  
exactly how powerful it was, but she could make a  
reasonable estimate. If she was right (almost a given)  
then that weapon was almost as strong as Ryoko's  
and Minagi's blades combined.  
  
{Very interesting.}  
  
It wasn't every day that the genius discovered  
something that might possibly surpass her masterpieces.  
Tenchi had been one, could this be another?  
  
{I'll have some fun finding out!}  
  
The spiky red haired scientist made a mental note to  
dispatch some of her new probes to Tokyo. It just  
wouldn't do to have her data on this interesting person  
remain so incomplete. A gleam came to her green eyes  
at the thought of all the samples she would need.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Once Aeka saw that her younger sister was no  
longer in immediate danger she calmed down  
enough to start paying attention to the rest of  
what was being broadcast. Specifically the rather  
imtimidating newcomer was the focus of her  
attention. She was already favorably inclined  
toward him seeing as he'd just saved Sasami,  
for a moment she even briefly considered that it  
might be Lord Tenchi beneath that dark armor.  
  
{No! Lord Tenchi would never be so  
forceful...so...savage...so virile...}  
  
At some point during this interesting line of  
thought her cheeks had turned beet red and her  
hands began to twiddle her fingers together  
aimlessly as the princess's imagination placed  
her in Sasami's place with a fierce looking Tenchi  
in Jurai battle armor coming to her rescue.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Juuban District  
  
Being a true hero in modern times is often a  
thankless duty where the hazards of the job  
usually outweigh the potential rewards involved.  
But there are some fringe benefits, like seeing  
the evil warlocks frantically doing their best  
to dodge their own magical missiles and looking  
like complete buffoons in the process.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
"Get out of my way!"  
  
And while those two were busy on avoiding their own  
levin-bolts they wouldn't be able to muster up  
enough concentration to teleport.  
  
Ranma was already moving as soon  
as he'd blocked the last one of their shots.  
  
Jedi'te was the first to realize their peril.  
  
"He set us up!"  
  
Too late.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
Eyecatch #3  
  
(Ryoga Hibiki comes running on screen shouting  
his traditional battlecry.)  
  
(Ryoga: "Ranma! Prepare to die!!")  
  
(Ranma turns around and eases into a ready stance.)  
  
*Whump*  
  
(A large metal foot squashes Ryoga right  
before he can take a swing at his nemesis.)  
  
(Ranma looks up to see a Triax Ultimax robot  
armor, the cockpit pops open to reveal a smiling  
Makoto-chan who waves down at him.)  
  
(Ranma heaves a small sigh as the Ultimax lumbers  
to the side.)  
  
(Ryoga, slightly battered but still angry,  
gets up and tries again.)  
  
(Ryoga: "Die Ranma!!!")  
  
(Once again Ranma gets ready for a fight).  
  
*Stomp*  
  
(Cutey Honey and Nuku Nuku in a modified  
Spider Walker (has a smiling kawaii cat face instead  
of the traditional skull) walk through to get a good  
view from the sidelines.)  
  
(Ranma has a small sweatdrop on his head.)  
  
(Now a rather dazed and bruised Ryoga  
staggers weakly to a sorta upright position.)  
  
(Ryoga: I'm going to kill...  
*pauses as he looks up*....  
Oh no, not again!")  
  
*SCRUNCH*  
  
(An AT-AT with Skuld at the helm has arrived.)  
  
(Skuld: "Oopsie!")  
  
(Ranma has a *big* sweatdrop on his head now.)  
  
(Ranma: "Hey! How am I supposed to be a hero when  
you girls keep beating up all the villains?!!")  
  
(Ryoga is now a crumpled mess as  
the giant war machine moves off.)  
  
(Ryoga: "Why is this happening me?!!")  
  
*STOMP**GRIND**SCRAPE**SCRAPE*  
  
(Eva units 00 and 02 take a moment  
to wipe their feet.)  
  
(Asuka: "Ewww....and I just had it washed too.)  
  
(Ranma slaps a hand to his forehead and sneaks  
away as the gathered girls get into an argument  
over who he's going to be riding home with.)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Ristmoth System, 4 hours into the battle  
BGM: Return of the Jedi, Battle of Endor 2  
  
"Watch it Falcon! You've picked up a tail!"  
  
"I see him, Hornet. Ready for a Cross Wedgie?"  
  
"Just leave it to me. On three."  
  
The Imperial Fang closed in on the Rebel starfighter  
with g-cannons blazing, its pilot totally focused  
on aquiring his next kill of the day. He never saw the  
the other Black Eagle starfighter sneaking up on him  
from behind.  
  
"Three!"  
  
So when his quarry suddenly made an abrupt climb   
with full afterburners on he was still trying to keep his   
dogtail when the first laser blasts punched through his   
fighter's rear shields and penetrated past the armored   
engine housing into the delicate equipment maintaining   
the protective electromagnetic barrier around his ship's   
antimatter fuel supply.  
  
In space your first mistake is also usually your last one.  
  
The conscripted pilot, fresh from the Imperial Acadamy  
went out with a bang. One tiny insignificant death among the  
hundreds of thousands that took place that day.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Back to Earth (relatively speaking)  
  
As a dedicated martial artist Ranma could jump  
unaided to a height of thirty feet. And that had  
been *before* his transformation. By the time  
they saw him coming he was already too close.  
  
Ranma felt a brief stab of guilt for actually enjoying the  
look of absolute terror on his target's face. Ishtar on the  
other hand had no such qualms. This was what she lived for,  
the total destruction of the forces of evil so similar to those  
that had enslaved her.  
  
The silver blade glowed hungrily as it came  
cutting down, blasting through Jedi'te's forcefield  
as it were no more substantial then a soap bubble.  
Then it hit something more solid, though not by  
much considering that the weapon was capable of  
cutting through high grade duranium alloy like it  
was cotton candy.  
  
"Eiieeaauugghh!!!" The blond general howled in  
inhuman agony as his arm dropped tothe street,   
cleanly severed at the shoulder. The wound  
was cauterized almost instantly as the sword's magic  
went to work, inflicting additional damage to his  
corrupted flesh. Despite the incredible pain he was in  
Jedi'te retained enough of his senses to realize he  
couldn't survive another blow like that. Using the last  
remaining reserves of his inner strength the badly wounded  
villian dematerialized back to his home dimension just as he  
was about to be made a head shorter.  
  
A split second later the Rune sword slashed ineffectually  
through the empty space he'd been occupying.  
  
{Sithspawn!}  
  
[Damn! I almost had him too!]  
  
And then there was one.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Cosplay City  
  
The Hayami household was glued to the television.  
After all it's not every day that you get to see someone  
*else* fighting the big bad monsters for a change.  
  
There had been a few bad moments when things  
had almost gotten out of hand, namely when  
the guy holding the camera tried to sneak a  
few shots beneath the Sailor Senshi's skirts  
as they high jumped every which way during  
the first few minutes of the battle.  
  
Akakabu Hayami was still nursing a black eye  
where his wife Daiko had belted him a good one.  
  
His son Chokei was in a similar position. Natsuko  
had given her boyfriend the patented *evil eye of a  
jealous significant other* along with a slap to the back  
of his head to break the spell of the skimpy uniforms.  
  
Grandfather Danbei and Professor Kabuto just stared  
and drooled like the dirty old men that they were.  
  
Honey Kisaragi on the other hand  
had remained silent, at least until the  
the mysterious newcomer had shown  
up. After a few minutes of watching  
him in action it was she could do to  
keep her quiet composure. It was  
almost scary how efficiently he dealt  
with those shadowy creatures. Then  
he'd produced that sword from thin air  
and any uncertainties about making a visit  
to Tokyo vanished then and there.  
  
Mayor Light would understand the  
necessity once it was explained to him.  
Youma and evildoers alike beware,  
Cutey Honey was coming to town!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High  
  
Nabiki Tendo was not happy.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
Her agents were the most clever girls on  
campus, masters of secretive spying and  
schoolyard gossip. Right now they cringed  
before the barely controlled wrath of their  
mistress as they reported their first failure.  
  
"Um...we don't know."  
  
"You. Don't. Know?"  
  
Somehow she managed to loom over all of them,  
proving that Nabiki was indeed an heir to the  
Tendo side of the Anything Goes Style.  
  
"He's not anywhere on campus. The last time  
Ranma Saotome was seen was right after the  
incident with Kuno on the field.  
We checked and he'snotthereanymore."  
  
Near the end they started to babble in fear as  
Nabiki upped her financial aura. While not  
as physically imposing as a battle aura it was  
more then enough to cow her fellow students.  
  
"That was over thirty minutes ago ladies, and  
you know I pride myself on only having the  
latest up to the date information on every  
student here."  
  
The little group began to eagerly nod their heads,  
anything to avert the other shoe from dropping.  
  
"So go out and look again! He's just one guy!  
How hard can it be to find him?!"  
  
Oh, if she only knew.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-500 miles north of Tokyo  
  
Ryoga Hibiki, after much trial and hardships  
was finally back on his native soil.  
  
He'd had to leave China rather quickly, before  
the bodies of his latest victims were discovered.  
It was only a stroke of luck that had allowed him  
to learn that his hated nemesis also intended to  
return to Japan. The poor old man who'd been nice  
enough to tell him that had payed for his kindness with  
his life. His cursed body had new cravings now, needs  
that could only be satisfied by the pain and suffering of  
others. Their blood and death made him stronger, more  
powerful then he had ever dreamed imaginable. But still he  
hated his cursed form's looks, why did it have be so...so...  
...so damn CUTE?!  
  
Like everything that went wrong in his  
miserable life it had to be all Ranma's fault.  
If it rained, it was Ranma's fault. If he walked  
into the woman's side of the public bath it  
was Ranma's fault. If he went berserk in his  
cursed form and started slaughtering innocent  
people it was still Ranma's fault. Even the misery  
he'd suffered before he even met that accursed  
Saotome for the first time was somehow still  
Ranma's fault. If he ever bothered to sit down  
and actually think about it he was sure he would  
eventually find a connection linking the two.  
  
Onward the relentless monster   
in the guise of a man strode,   
seeking his arch-enemy.  
  
"Damn you to everlasting hell Saotome!!"  
  
A giant sumo pig suddenly rose up in  
front of the ranting lost boy to block  
his way. Unknowingly Ryoga had wandered  
onto the Unryu Fighting Pig Farm.  
  
Katsunishki grunted a warning to the  
stranger, the animal could smell the  
taint of bloodshed clinging to this one.  
It was a faint sickly sweet odor that  
would always mark the human to  
those who could sense such things.  
  
Ryoga almost smiled, his face was so  
unused to that expression that it came out  
more like a mangled grimace. At least during  
those moments when he fought man or beast  
he didn't have to think. He licked his parched lips.  
  
"Fresh meat."  
  
The pig was loyal and well trained.  
It would rather die then ever desert  
its post as defender of the farm.  
  
Katsunishki was big, he was strong,  
he was brave. But that would not save him.  
  
Luck was with Akari that day, she had gone to  
town that day with one of the piglets to get it  
treated by the local vet for a mild cold.  
  
Unfortunately, her grandfather wasn't with her this time.  
  
A loud agonized squeal rang out once  
before suddenly going silent.  
  
It was not the first death that day,  
nor would it be the last.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-Saotome Residence  
  
"Chi, Azusa, have either one of  
you ever heard of this Kama Sutra  
book before?"  
  
Yohko Mano held up a rather plain  
little hardcover book that looked rather  
old and only had the short title on its front.  
  
"Can't say that I have Yohko, though it does  
sound rather familar for some reason. It's  
probably filled with recipes or something."  
  
The brown haired freckled manager was munching  
on another one of those cookies Mrs Saotome had  
left out for them.  
  
" Well, Aunty Nodoka said that we should study  
it until we know the contents by heart."  
  
Azusa, Devil Hunter in training piped up as she set  
down yet another batch of study materials that they  
had been given as part of the Anything Goes Bridal  
Instruction.  
  
Yohko sighed, who would have suspected that the  
nice lady they'd first met was such a formidable  
taskmaster?! It was like training under Grandma  
all over again.  
  
"In that case I guess we should all take  
a look at it then..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
-Juuban District  
  
After the retreat of Jedi'te the battle between  
Ranma and Malach'te had quickly turned into  
a high speed game of tag, except the loser  
wouldn't survive being "it".  
  
No sooner did the white-blond sorcerer materialize  
at one spot then he immediately released a flurry of  
red flaming bolts before teleporting to another  
location where the process was repeated yet again.  
  
While Ranma was able to deflect each attack  
with Ishtar's help, his opponent wouldn't  
remain in one place long enough for his partner  
to finish him off. So it was now a stalemate,  
and the Knight found himself in the uneviable  
position of having decide whether to up the ante  
by revealing more of his Forge granted abilities  
or try one of his special techniques. Either one  
was probably going to result in some major property  
damage and possible civilian casualties, something  
he wanted to avoid at all costs.  
  
{Got any ideas?}  
  
[Why not use your normal strategy  
against teleporters?]  
  
{Two reasons. First, using fusion blocks  
in this area would be a very *bad* thing.  
Second, I don't have enough of them with  
me anyway, they're for emergencies only.}  
  
[Oh right, I forgot how primitive this planet is.  
Well, there's always plan B.]  
  
{Plan B?}  
  
The goddess wasted little time filling him in  
on the specific details. Fortunately for Ranma's  
dignity his helm completely hid his expression,  
otherwise his wide mouthed gape of astonishment  
would have been displayed to half the households  
in Japan. Outwardly the only sign of his reaction  
was a slight pause in the middle of his pursuit of  
the slippery general.  
  
{Let's do it.}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
BGM: Saber Marionette J: Iza! Junjou ni, jinjou ni.  
  
At first it seemed that nothing had changed, as  
Malach'te continued to stay out of reach of the  
Rune sword and Ranma continued to pursue him.  
But in actuality the general was being gradually  
herded right where they wanted him....  
  
The enchanted blade came in a quick cross slash,  
once again too late to hit the already departed  
villain's foul flesh. The expected response came  
directly from behind, forcing Ranma to make an  
abrupt about face even as he brought Ishtar up to  
parry. Several black flakes scattered outward from  
his right arm where one of the blasts finally slipped  
through. Even as the Knight whirled to confront his  
tormenter, the white robed figure vanished in the  
shimmer of tiny multifaceted crystals.  
  
{Just a couple more feet.}  
  
Ranma was starting to see a pattern to the teleports,  
and if his guess was right then his opponent should be  
popping up right over ther....  
  
His overhand block caught the first three shots,  
and he was quick enough to be able to get out of  
the way of the last two blasts. Small curls of  
smoke arose from where the magic had burned  
deeply into the already much abused concrete.  
  
The Knight could feel Ishtar's eagerness to end  
the evil mage's existence. A sentiment he  
wholeheartedly agreed with, but they had to be  
patient if her plan was going to work.  
  
Everything hinged on if the villain remained in the  
pattern he had set, otherwise Ranma would probably  
be forced to destroy half of the remaining neighborhood  
in order to finish this fight.  
  
Several shots struck his armor hard, but the young warrior  
took them without complaint, knowing that it was a  
necessary sacrifice. His attention was totally focused  
on Malach'te's position, a few hits were a small price  
to pay in order to end this.  
  
There he was!  
  
This time, instead of charging forward in a futile attempt  
to get a hit Ranma hopped back and pointed the sword not  
at Malach'te, but toward the fire hydrant he had chosen to  
reappear over.  
  
[Gotcha!]  
  
Concentrating on staying as far away from the  
dangerous stranger and that deadly sword, the general  
wasn't expecting an attack from another direction.  
So his surprise was complete when first a red  
metal hydrant slammed into his stomach from below,  
followed by hundreds of gallons of water which at  
that volume and velocity hit him like a brick wall.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Someplace else in the Juuban District  
  
"You've both got your uniforms on inside out."  
  
Sailor Pluto wanted some aspirin.  
  
"Neptune, I believe those are Uranus's undergarments."  
  
"So that's why they're so tight."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Scratch that, she wanted a *lot* of aspirin.  
The Senshi of Time silently vowed that she  
was going to take a *long* vacation when the  
current crisis was over.  
  
Somehow everything finally got settled down  
and then the rest of the Outer Senshi were off to  
eliminate whatever new terrible menace that had  
dared to enter their world.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Masaki Household revisited  
  
"Magnificent." Minagi was impressed, she  
had trained under her creator Yakage and could  
recognize someone who was a true master  
of the sword on sight. That blade seemed to  
have become a natural extension of the fighter's  
arm, she had seen such a thing only three times before  
in her life. Once with Yakage, a swordsmaster who had  
survived over 5,000 years through repeated cloning.  
Another time in a duel with Tenchi's Grandfather.  
And the last had been when she had been seen  
Washu's records of Tenchi defeating Kagato and  
Yakage.  
  
Her father had wanted Minagi to become the best,  
and she had challenged the greatest fighters in the  
Local Cluster in order to fullfill his dream. Now it  
seemed she had found a new challenge for her skills,  
one worthy of facing the sword that was Yakage's  
last gift to his daughter.  
  
{I will make you proud Father.}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Hidy ho, back to the Temple we go  
  
Belldandy found herself being pulled in opposing  
directions by her feelings. The goddess wanted to  
help her younger sister but at the same time she  
also didn't want to leave Keiichi alone and unprotected.  
She gave a helpless look in Urd's direction, a subtle  
(yet strangely powerful) plea for her help.  
  
"Alright, I'm going, I'm going."Urd mock grumbled  
as she stepped into the television set, Father having  
decided to be lenient and giving her a reprieve from  
probation pending a future review by the higher powers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Juuban  
  
"Yeah! Go get him!" Sasami had quickly gotten  
into the spirit of things and was rooting for the  
good guy to trash the bad guy really good. It was  
just like one of those bedtime stories that Ayeka  
or Tenchi would read to her. The little princess  
had quickly placed the Knight in the same category  
as the rest of her friends like Minagi and Ryo-ohki.  
She tended to trust her first impressions of people  
and those same feelings told her that this new person  
meant no harm to them, only to the forces of Evil.  
  
Malach'te was in a bad spot, pinned to the upper wall  
of a fancy electronic goods store by the pressure of  
the redirected water geyser. The beating he was taking  
as a result of the intense water pressure made any sort  
of concentration practically impossible and also kept his  
arms pinned helplessly to his sides. It seemed all over  
except for the clean up as Ranma started to slowly head  
over toward his neutralized foe, careful to maintain the focused  
state needed by Ishtar to direct the continued water flow.  
  
Then a pair of long bronzed legs stepped out of  
one of the televisions in front of him, followed  
by an even more stunning (and lightly clad) body.  
  
That got his attention fast. Ranma had seen a lot   
of strange things in his lifetime, but this was new   
even to him. Maybe it was something like the   
Nightbane Mirror-Walk?  
  
Unfortunately during the brief slip in his concentration,  
the geyser had slipped from Ishtar's control and his trapped  
opponent was free once more. Malach'te had only moments  
to act before his enemy figured out what had happened.  
  
Realizing that he stood no chance in a direct confrontation,  
the evil general did what all nasty people do when confronted  
by a challenge beyond their abilities...he cheated.  
  
A barbed purple javelin of dark power  
formed in one hand as the life essence  
invested the last of its remaining energy   
reserves into a final weapon which  
would ensure that it would have the last laugh.  
The effort nearly caused him to pass out, he had  
exhausted much of his power in a short span of time.  
  
Perhaps it was not strong enough to slay the demon  
hounding him...  
  
...but it was more then enough to kill one of *them*.  
  
His viperish gaze focused on the little girl cheering his  
pursuer on. Yes, he would have his revenge on them all.  
They would suffer with that innocent's blood haunting  
them till they died. Somehow Malach'te found the strength  
to burst into evil laughter.  
  
Ranma looked up back toward the general, then he turned  
his head to see what the maniac was looking at.  
  
The cute little blue haired girl with the two ponytails.  
  
Sickening comprehension struck.  
  
"You bastard!!"  
  
It was an instinctive reaction beyond any conscious  
thought, one second he was holding the Rune  
weapon in hand, the next instant Ishtar was being  
hurled toward Malach'te.  
  
"You fool! You're too late!!"  
  
The villain's throw was fast and true.  
  
Even as four feet of enchanted silver mithril alloy   
plowed into his gut and through to the other side till  
the blade was buried hilt deep within his abdomen  
and pinned him back against the wall like some  
winged insect in a bug collection, even as gouts  
of dark green blood spouted forth from the mortal  
wound, even as the outraged soul inhabiting the weapon  
started to fry Malach'te from the inside out,  
that cursed missile was still heading straight  
toward Sasami.  
  
Ranma found himself in a race against Death.  
There was no time to think, no time to plan,  
no time to regret. It was just him, the girl,   
and that weapon speeding toward her.  
  
Even moving at full speed it was going to be close.  
  
Too close.  
  
Time seemed to slow down as he shot  
down the street like a Boom Gun round.  
  
The expressions of horrified realization appeared  
on the Senshi's faces first. Jupiter even began to  
move in a vain attempt to either get the girl out of  
the way or block the spear herself. She was too  
far away and she'd never make it in time, but still  
she tried anyway.  
  
Sasami watched the javelin coming with the same  
look that little rabbits give to hunters with automatic  
rifles.  
  
"Tsunami!!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Masaki Residence  
  
"No! Azaka, Kamidake!!"  
  
Even as the words left her throat Ayeka  
knew it wouldn't be in time. But she couldn't  
just sit here helplessly either while that madman  
murdered her sister!  
  
"Yes ma'am!"  
"Yes ma'am."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ryoko steeled herself for a extra long teleport.  
It was feat she'd never attempted before, her  
range was normally within eyesight and even  
then hadn't gone beyond a few miles.  
  
{Don't do it.}  
  
[Washu?! Sasami's in trouble!! It's the only way!!!]  
  
{Even you can't make it. You know I'm right Ryoko.}  
  
[Damn you Washu! I have to do something!!  
How can you be so heartless?!!]  
  
{I'm just as worried as you are my dear,  
but I have some faith in that one.}  
  
[You're trusting some guy in a metal suit with Sasami's life?!]  
  
{Just as you trusted a simple schoolboy to rescue you from Kagato.}  
  
[That has nothing to do with this!!]  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Juuban  
  
{Oh man...}  
  
This was going to hurt.  
  
Ranma didn't even have enough time to raise his  
arms to block when the spear hit his chest plate  
and kept right on going. Fiery pain registered  
from the point of entry as first one rib, then a  
second snapped under the impact. His flesh was  
considerably tougher then the average human's  
(or the average bulletproof vest) though and  
the shaft's head quickly became lodged deep in  
muscle tissue, stopping far short of the armor  
protecting Ranma's back.  
  
As injuries went, it looked much worse then it  
actually was. Sure it would probably have  
incapacitated or possibly killed even a minor  
supernatural being, but he'd had worse. Getting  
eaten by a Demonshark, now *that* had been bad.  
  
Bio-regeneration was already starting repair the  
damage and had begun to eject the supernatural weapon  
from his body. Even the broken ribs would  
reknit themselves back together in a few minutes. Still,  
the trickle of crimson dripping from his front where the  
rest of the javelin stuck out drew the attention of  
everyone else like a magnet.  
  
"Red blood."  
  
Sailor Venus didn't even realize she  
had spoken out loud, or that her thoughts  
were running along similar lines to the  
others present. If this being was human,  
then what? How much of Sailor Pluto's  
warnings had been true and how much just  
myth and legend? Did they really want to  
fight someone who'd just saved their eggs  
from the basket?  
  
Mercury took particular note of where  
the scarlet drops fell, she would get a  
sample for later analysis. Her suspicions  
about the truth of their rescuer would be  
confirmed one way or another.  
  
Skuld took one look, turned green, and passed out.  
The sight of any sizable quantity of blood always did  
that to her. She was still young for a goddess and the last  
big war between Good and Evil had been long before  
her time.  
  
Urd was still struggling with an inconvenient  
(not to mention embarrassing) predicament.  
Somehow or the other she seemed to have become  
entangled in what seemed to be every extension cord  
in the store's window after she popped out.  
For the moment her garments were still within the  
bounds of decency (for her anyway), but her struggling  
was making it more and more of an iffy thing.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Masaki Household  
  
"Oh dear."  
  
"She appears to have fainted."  
  
The two loyal guardians gently used  
their telekinetic powers to arrange  
their charge more comfortably on the couch.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Juuban again  
  
Malach'te had thought he'd known what  
pain was before. Now he was finding out  
what the word truly meant. The accursed  
blade was searing his innards to ash, its  
magic inhibiting his body's healing and  
kept the wound open and bleeding.   
Worse, gravity was tugging his upper torso   
down onto the razor sharp edge, slowly tearing  
the cut open even farther. All the while the  
spirit inhabiting the weapon struck out with  
a intangible force that set his nerves screaming  
in agony as it overloaded his neural pathways.  
The most horrible thing of all was that the  
vengeful Ishtar had frozen his vocal cords,  
making it impossible for the general to even  
scream.  
  
The dying villain grasped the sword's handle  
in a vain attempt to pull it free of himself. A  
moment later he found out why that wasn't  
such a good idea. The surge of searing psychic  
energy nearly blew his arms off, leaving his  
hands blackened and curled into bony claws.  
  
[How dare you hurt him!! Fry you   
unholy piece of *CENSORED*!!!]  
  
{Ishtar! That's enough! Finish him!!}  
  
A white glow started to form within the  
core of the weapon's silver blade in  
response to its owner's command.  
  
The horrified Malach'te could only look  
down helplessly at the tremendous charge  
he sensed the sentient weapon was building up.  
  
Then there was a blinding flash of light as  
Ishtar released the holy power she had called  
forth directly into his body. Malach'te was  
consumed in an instant, his head arching back  
in denial even as flesh and bone was reduced to dust.  
  
A small thunderclap sounded as  
the life essence was banished back  
to the shifting darkness of the Negaverse,  
leaving the Rune weapon as pristine and  
untouched as it had been the day it was  
created.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
With the death of its creator the summoned  
Psi-lance dissolved back into nothingness it  
had been formed from, making it easier for  
both Ranma's body and armor to start fixing  
themselves. Within a minute two small pops  
signaled that his ribs had just reset themselves,  
and the hole torn in his armor had shrunk noticeably.  
  
{Geeze, that stings! He just had to go and fight dirty! Jerk!!}  
  
Without even bothering to look up Ranma held up  
his hand to catch the returning Rune weapon.  
  
[Are you all right Ranma?]  
  
{I'm fine. We'd better see to those girls though,  
they were getting worked over pretty rough by  
those creatures before I arrived. No telling  
how long they were fighting or what kind of injuries  
they sustained. Those monsters threw everything  
but the kitchen sink at me.}  
  
[How horrible, they're just children!! The poor  
dears must have been so frightened.]  
  
Ranma was just glad that his partner's maternal insincts  
seemed to have been awakened, if she had seen those girls  
as women (and hence unwanted competition) things probably  
would have gotten ugly very quickly.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Turning to face the wide eyed little girl he'd  
shielded earlier, Ranma bent to one knee in  
order to meet her on equal terms. Children  
had always been a wonder to him, perhaps  
because he'd never really had much of a  
childhood before the responsibilities thrust  
upon him by first his father and then later  
on by the Alliance and the Forge.  
  
"Are you alright? Did those creatures harm you?"  
  
Sasami silently shook her head. Awe shone in  
her eyes as she looked back at the helmet of  
the one who had protected her life with his own,  
trying to find the nonexistant eyeholes in it. Nor  
could she see any opening for the mouth or nose,  
both areas were well armored since such a feature  
was unnecessary for a Cosmoknight. It was like  
watching one of her sister's guardians speak, the  
words came from his direction but there was no  
indication of how it was being done.  
  
Seeing that she was indeed uninjured, Ranma got  
up and turned toward the rest of the girls.The  
gathered Senshi looked rather nervous when the  
Knight strode toward them with sword still in  
hand. They hadn't realized just how big he really  
was until now. The armored figure towered over  
even Jupiter, and although he held his weapon in  
a nonthreatening way they had all witnessed its  
lethal cut.  
  
Ranma really wished that he could reasssure them of his  
intentions but time was running short. The authorities  
would be showing up soon now that the danger was over  
and he had no wish to still be here when they did arrive.  
Besides he didn't have any clue as to who these girls were.  
He'd seen and heard of some people who liked to dress up  
for a fight, but why skimpy school uniforms?  
  
A red rose chose that moment to become  
embedded in ground in front of him.  
  
Tuxedo Kamen's annoying theme music begins to play  
  
"Where the cause of justice is imperiled, so shall the forces  
of righteous come to protect the good and the innocent. Do  
not lose hope Sailor Senshi, for Tuxedo Kamen has arrived  
to aid your struggles against this abomination."  
  
A large sweatdrop formed on the back of Ranma's helm,  
it was matched by the one hanging from Ishtar's hilt.  
  
[You have got to be kidding me. That overdressed jackass  
should take a good look in the mirror before calling someone  
else an abomination!]  
  
{I don't believe this, *two* poetic idiots in one day.   
Who does that clown think he is? Where the heck   
was this Tux-baka when the real threat was present?!}  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Mwahahahahaha!!"  
  
"I think all that power is going to the Bard's head."  
  
"I told you this was a bad idea!"  
  
"Eyecatch?"  
  
"Eyecatch."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
Eyecatch #4  
  
(Mihoshi is dressed in white shirt  
and pants and holding small metallic  
cylinder in her hands.)  
  
(The blue energy blade emerging from it  
reveals that she's holding a lightsaber.)  
  
(Shampoo lands next on her right, oufitted in an  
Iczelion battle armor and produces a purple  
Beam Saber.)  
  
(Sailor Venus lands on Mihoshi's left, a wave  
of her hand summons a yellow Psi-sword.)  
  
(Devil Hunter Yohko comes running and stops  
next to Shampoo, her Soul Sword at ready.)  
  
All four proclaim: "All for one and Ranma for all!"  
  
(P.O.V. changes to see who the four girls are facing.)  
  
(Akane in her gi wielding a oversized  
wooden bokken is revealed. A very  
*large* sweatdrop pops up on her head.)  
  
(She silently forms the words;  
"You have *got* to be kidding me!".)  
  
(Four slashes later Akane is just holding a  
small wooden stub in her hands.)  
  
(Akane: "That's it! I quit!")  
  
(She starts to stalk off only to  
be knocked off screen by the familar  
"Ranma 1/2 with a twist" logo.)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
BGM: Imperial March, The Phantom Menace Version  
(in full Doby Surround Sound(tm))  
  
-Somewhere deep in the Heart of the Trans-Galactic Empire  
  
The first sign that trouble with a capital *T* was coming was  
the sixteen Raptor starfighters that screamed through space a few  
kilometers ahead of a mile long Imperial Battle Cruiser and it's  
fifteen smaller escort ships. The giant war machine looked like  
some giant archaic alien bladed weapon from the distant past,  
a deliberate choice meant to strike fear into the hearts of those  
who dared to resist the might of the Kreeghor. Although this  
choice in design left the vessel with several very *obvious*  
structural weak points, it was still quite an impressive sight  
to behold. Aside from its white running lights the entire cruiser's  
hull was dark grayish blue-black, a far departure from the customary  
bright blood red and absolutely hideous greenish orange that were the  
Fleet's traditional colors.(2)  
  
The infamous dark ship's registry was known and dreaded  
throughout the Empire and the Free Worlds.  
  
INS 1027-NC443 Dark Impaler.  
  
Standing at the front of the bridge, Captain Jarenz gazed out into  
the dark void between the stars, the small flare of the capital defense  
patrols the only illumination visible nearby. He was a cold hard man and  
his subordinates moved with the extra caution that visceral fear gave  
them. The Ironclaw despised incompetence among  
his men and his preferred method of punishment  
ensured that there were never any repeat offenders.  
  
An aide walked across the bridge, his stride controlled but with a  
nervous reluctance visible to the watchful observer. In the Empire,  
the old saying about "killing the messenger" was often taken  
at face value.  
  
"My lord, we have just received word that the Rebels  
have launched an all out assault on our base in the  
Ristmoth system. Shall we prepare an intercept course?"  
  
Bracing for an explosion, the petty officer started scoping  
out potential routes of escape....just in case.  
  
Whatever reaction he had been expecting, it wasn't the  
amused chuckle that was his superior's reply.  
  
"So, they've finally mustered enough of a  
backbone to begin their long delayed offensive  
against us."  
  
"Ah...sir? Your orders?"  
  
"Remain on course, they are  
not our concern. I have my orders  
from the Grand Admiral himself,  
the location and capture of Ranma  
Saotome is the only mission of any  
importance to us."  
  
"But our base?! All the troops stationed  
there will be slaughtered without reinforcements!!"  
  
A cool glance made the aide realize he  
had overstepped his bounds. But the  
Ironclaw demonstrated unexpected  
restraint as he returned to his  
contemplations of the stars.  
  
"The Emperor has something  
special planned for the Rebellion. You  
would do well to learn your place in the  
grand scheme of things if you wish to  
continue serving the Empire."  
  
The implied threat of that last  
statement was enough to send the  
trembling Silloutte scurrying away.  
  
Captain Jarenz tightened his bionic  
hand into a eager fist. Soon, he  
consoled himself, soon he would  
accomplish what the others had only  
dreamed of. Then the ghosts that  
haunted him would finally be put  
to rest at last.  
  
"It is only a matter of time now....."  
  
The Dark side was no longer in check.  
  
(to be continued)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
(1) Give yourself a pat on the back if you  
figured it out before the Bard does.  
  
(2) Don't ask, just don't ask *Shudder*  



	19. Chapter 3g: Life just isn't fair sometim...

~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3g: Life just isn't fair sometimes  
~~~~~~~~  
  
-From the Journal of Erin Tarn  
  
It has been many weeks since last I heard of  
my dear friend and I fear that the worst has befallen  
him. My contacts among the dimensional travelers  
have informed me that he has apparently vanished  
without a trace and is now the subject of one of the  
largest manhunts the Megaverse has ever seen. It  
seems that my friend has finally bitten off more  
then he can chew this time. The man I speak of  
is of course Ranma Saotome, quite possibly the  
most interesting and yet at the same time the  
most impossible young man I have ever met.  
  
It seems strange to feel so strongly about him when  
he spent such a short time with me and my  
companions. There is some intangible quality to  
that young man that seems to draw others to him  
like moths to a flame. Ranma possesses a refreshing  
zest for life that remains undampened despite the  
worst that the Fates seems to keep throwing at him.  
  
I first encountered the poor boy during that little  
mishap with a dimensional rift that landed me in the  
strange world known as Wormwood. Such an idealistic  
lad he was, brash and yet possessing an innate sense of  
honesty and a code of honor that I found quite charming,  
as did the other females in my party. Yet Ranma also quickly  
proved his mettle as a formidable fighter when he helped us  
to fend off one of the Horde's raiding parties. By all rights  
any normal human should have been dead many times over   
after sustaining the amount of blaster fire he did. Amazingly  
enough he came out of the fight with nary a scratch, though  
his raiment wasn't nearly as fortunate.  
  
Saotome soon became a welcome addition to our traveling  
party and escorted us through some rather nasty territory.  
Suffice to say within a week we finally managed to reach one  
of the world's free cities and regretfully parted ways. He was  
our very own knight errant right out of the tales of old, minus  
the shining armor. Ah, if I were only thirty years younger...  
  
There was little hope of ever seeing him again, though I did invite  
him to visit me in the city of Lazlo if ever he should happen to  
journey there. As luck would have it, he did go to Lazlo during  
the Mechanoid crisis, although I wasn't present at the time and only  
learned of his appearance through second hand accounts.  
  
I suppose that I should have known better then to believe  
that our paths wouldn't cross again. The next time I saw that  
pigtail of his was at the Gathering of Heroes. It was hard  
to tell who was more surprised when we ran into each other,  
him or me. Once again he had just shown up where he was  
needed most, the only reason he would give for his presence was  
that "It's a martial artist's duty to help a just cause".  
  
His aid in defeating the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse  
proved invaluable. I personally witnessed his battle with  
Pestilence, which only confirmed my earlier belief that Ranma  
was more then just the superb fighter he claimed to be. In the  
fight against the Demon and its minions my friend revealed  
several amazing abilities that he used to send the monstrosities  
back to whatever Hellish plane had spawned them. Flight,  
incredible supernatural strength and stamina, reflexes that a  
Juicer would be envious of, a capacity for somehow surviving  
even the most grievous injury, and the ability to rapidly discharge  
very powerful beams of energy from his hands at will. When I  
I later confronted him with the evidence he finally capitulated to  
my inquiries as to who and what he really was.  
  
I must admit, the truth came as quite a shock. Whatever I  
had been subconsciously expecting paled in comparison to  
the reality. I have promised Ranma that I will not reveal his  
secret, even though it pains me that his heroism will never  
be recognized by the rest of the world.  
  
Something changed between us after that, though I do not think  
he meant to distance himself he did so nonetheless. There was a  
new sadness in his eyes after the fighting was over, but he hid it  
so well that of the surviving heroes of the campaign only myself  
and the mysterious Katrina Sun noticed it. Then one night, during  
one of the many parties being held to celebrate our victory, he  
simply vanished. Though everyone searched the town he was  
nowhere to be found, I knew then that he had gone back to where  
he was most needed.  
  
It would be nearly two years before I saw Ranma again.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Ristmoth, 9 hours into the attack  
  
After hard fighting that had claimed many lives  
on both sides, the way was finally clear. Alliance  
Battleships had established a solid perimeter for  
the vessels carrying their valuable ground troops  
to pass through. The occasional flash and cloud of  
superheated dust on the planet's surface arose from  
the continuing suppression of strategic planetary defenses  
and military bases. Careful precision was necessary for  
the orbital bombardment, the civilian population was  
already in uprising against their former masters and  
the fleet had no wish to hit friendly forces.  
  
"The transports are preparing to make  
their drops. Escorts, take your positions."  
  
The Untamed Stallion and her escorting squadron  
of fighters was joined by several other older corvettes  
and half a dozen Assault Frigates along with their capital  
space patrols to form a protective screen for  
the convoy of slow and quite battered barges.  
The transports were an old design and had been  
mothballed ages ago by the Empire. But now they  
pressed back into service by a Rebellion that  
desperately needed every functioning ship it  
could get.  
  
With only light shields, a few nearly antique  
laser batteries, and practically no armor  
whatsoever, these ships were the equivalent  
of big, fat, sitting ducks for even the smallest  
and weakest Kreeghor vessel, hence the need  
for the strong escort. By now, the remaining  
Imperial capital ships that could had already  
fled from the system, while the rest were now  
either expanding spheres of light and heat or dark  
gutted hulks depending on whether or not the  
ship's engines had been breached. But despite the  
through sweep that Alliance forces had made,  
an occasional squadron of enemy fighters still  
managed to slip out from one of the hidden hangers  
on the planet's surface. Just one squadron would be  
more then enough to decimate the transports.  
  
The anti-fighter defenses on the Untamed Stallion were  
the best in the fleet, her fellow corvettes also mounted  
impressive deterrents as well. If by some chance they  
ran into something larger then just fighters that's where  
the frigates would come in. But their abilities were about  
to be put to the test as the planetary defense forces played  
their final and most lethal trump card.  
  
"I'm detecting multiple launches coming from the planet's surface!"  
  
A hundred hidden armored silos belched smoke and flame as their  
contents climbed for the upper atmosphere and escape velocity.  
  
"Missiles incoming!"  
  
"Keep them away from the transports at all costs!!"  
  
"Activate the Defense Grid and prep point defense!"  
  
The Rebel Starcruisers Vigilant and Liberty quickly moved  
into position to pound the previously concealed launchers  
into fine grade powder. That just left the cruise missiles  
heading toward the fleet's transports as the only visible  
remaining threat for the escorts to deal with.  
  
Sophisticated ECM disabled some before they  
ever reached space, in an ironic twist sending the  
missiles back toward the base that had launched  
them. The faster escort fighters came within range  
of the deadly swarm first, taking their toll on the  
evasive smart bombs with energy cannons and rail  
guns. But there were simply too many of the missiles  
and not enough fighters, despite their best efforts at  
least half of them got through. There was no time for a  
second pass, even as the pilots turned the massive rockets  
altered their heading to keep them out of range as  
they continued to close on the helpless transports.  
  
Then the corvettes began launching countering volleys  
of their own, going for multiple fratricide. More explosions  
briefly lit the darkness of space, yet the remaining warheads  
still headed relentlessly toward their targets.  
  
Now was the most dangerous time as the escorts were forced into  
close range in order for their guns to come into play. Cruise missiles  
could cross the short distances quickly enough that there wouldn't  
be enough time for an unlucky vessel in its way to even think of  
evading. With few exceptions the ships of the convoy could not hope   
to survive a direct hit from even one of those gigantic warheads.   
It was a grueling trial of the crews' nerves and the gunners' accuracy,  
there was almost no margin for error and casualties started mounting   
almost immediately. In the blink of an eye one of the leading corvettes  
vanished in the white hot flare of an antimatter explosion as a missile   
struck it head on.  
  
Onboard the Untamed Stallion Commander Ayla was  
a shouting orders to the rest of the ship, her draconic  
nature evident despite being shapeshifted into a human  
in the sheer force behind her commands.  
  
"You know the drill ladies, aim straight and shoot fast!"  
  
From the comlink there was a chorus of affirmatives  
from the various gunners manning the weapons turrets.  
  
A score of enemy missiles died in the ensuing storm  
of point defense lasers, particle beams, plasma bursts,  
and hyper-velocity duranium rail-gun rounds. But more  
were still coming, the Assault Frigate Spirit nearly joined  
the first unfortunate escort in oblivion as its weak point defense  
was overwhelmed by over half a dozen of the guided  
warheads. The first missile was destroyed as was the  
second, but the third and fourth ones got through and  
inflicted a savage punishment on her faltering shields.  
By some quirk of fate the fifth warhead missed completely  
and was vaporized by the Untamed Stallion's guns as  
it came around for another attack. The sixth  
warhead punched through Spirit's weakened variable  
forcefield to explode violently against her hull, crippling  
the valiant escort vessel. The ship's lights went dark and  
the battered hulk was forced to use its remaining engine  
power to limp away.  
  
Three of the corvettes took up new positions to cover the  
vector left open by the withdrawing frigate. They succeeded  
in stopping the missiles coming from that direction, but the  
escorts paid the ultimate price for their bravery. All three ships  
were nothing more then expanding clouds of superheated gas  
by the time the fleet's fighters came screaming back into the fight  
with with full afterburners blazing fiery streaks behind the small  
craft.  
  
Ten cruise missiles managed to evade the gunners' tracking systems,  
and the defenders were running out of time. In a few moments the  
warheads would reach the transports and over a hundred thousand of  
their irreplacable troops would be lost.  
  
Commander Ayla realized that they had only one option left  
if the convoy was to have any chance at all. They  
were the only ship still between the warheads and  
the convoy. The missiles couldn't be allowed to  
get pass them, no matter what it took to stop them.  
Even though it might cost them their lives, death was  
something each and every member of the crew had  
accepted as a possibility that came with the job.  
  
"Set our ECM to deception mode. Use Alliance  
transponder setting seven."  
  
Tania winced but responded without hesitation.  
  
"Copy, Commander. Reconfiguring ECM now."  
  
The communications officer took a moment to whisper  
a short prayer in her native tongue. Setting seven meant  
that they would register to the missile guidence systems  
as a group of three Alliance Starcruisers. In theory  
the command protocols of the warheads should override  
control and change the target priority to the more enticing  
false readings. Of course if this worked then that would  
leave the Untamed Stallion with ten really big and very  
nasty smart bombs with anti-matter payloads aimed at it.  
  
She decided to pray a little harder.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Juuban  
  
For some reason the Sailor Senshi weren't as  
glad to see their traditional rescuer as they  
normally would be. Perhaps it was due to the fact  
he was making a total fool of himself on national  
television. It might have something to do with  
his challenging someone who'd just wasted two  
of the Negaverse's finest military commanders  
just few minutes ago. Or it could be that he'd been  
late for the scheduled last minute rescue, which  
wasn't a good thing. Especially for the ones who  
were supposed to be rescued. Either way, to say  
they were quite miffed with him would be quite an  
understatement.  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes heavenward for a moment and  
then interrupted the cliche inspiration speech.   
  
"Lemmee skip the preliminary stuff and cut to the chase scene.   
Are you by any chance an Alien Intelligence? A God? A Demon?   
Some powerful supernatural fiend I've probably never heard of?  
A mage with a bad taste in overpriced wedding garments? One  
of those master psychics that have lost more then a few marbles?  
Or are you packing any 30th century firearms? Carrying a weapon  
of considerable magical power by any chance?"  
  
"Um...no."  
  
"Then stop bothering me and go get a real job."  
  
Tuxedo Kamen facefaulted, unfortunately for him  
he was leaning toward the wrong side of the roof at  
the time. The watching Senshi winced as he hit the  
pavement with an audible splat.  
  
Ranma ignored his twitching form as he went to check  
on the unconscious Skuld. His fingers gently probed her  
for injuries with a deftness and throughness that rivaled  
a experienced battlefield medic.  
  
{Hmmm, a light concussion, some bruises on her  
back and along her side and a twisted ankle.}  
  
[Fascinating.]  
  
Uh oh. Whenever she said something like that trouble always  
followed sooner or later. He was almost afraid to find out  
what she found so interesting *this* time.  
  
{What is it?}  
  
[Her psychic energy level is nowhere  
even near a normal human's. In fact I'm  
pretty sure she's not even a mortal.]  
  
This wasn't as bad as the malfunctioning  
thermal detonator or the fairy ring incident,  
but it came close.  
  
{What?! Are you telling me she's some kind of godling?!!}  
  
[Bingo. This is looking less and less like that quiet  
vacation you kept promising. On the bright side I  
haven't been this entertained in centuries!]  
  
Ranma winced as the sword burst into telepathic  
laughter. With Ishtar as his partner he never had to worry  
about his ego getting too inflated, she was always there to  
cut him down to size.  
  
{I'm glad one of us is finding this situation funny. Now  
are you going to heal her or is there anything else you'd  
like me to know about?!}  
  
[Well, aside from the fact that those other girls  
are some of the sources of those magical  
emanations from last night and that weirdo in  
the black tuxedo and hat seems to have recovered,  
nothing much.]  
  
{..Ishtar!}  
  
[Fine, fine. Spoilsport.]  
  
Resting the flat of the blade across the  
young goddess's chest Ranma watched  
as a soft yellow light flowed from the sword  
into the girl's body. The most visible of the  
bruises shrunk and vanished, revealing unmarred  
skin. Although he couldn't see the rest of the effects  
of his partner's healing power, he did note with  
some relief that the girl's breathing was even and  
untroubled. Ishtar couldn't do anything about her faint,  
that was one of those little medical mysteries like the  
common cold that had never been solved by magic  
or anything else even in the advanced society he'd  
come from. Skuld would have to come out of that  
one on her own.  
  
He did his best to arrange her more comfortably on  
the ground before turning toward the nearest of the  
strangely dressed girls, which turned out to be Sailor Jupiter.  
She eeped in surprise at how fast he moved and took an  
involuntary step back. Ranma's action was also misinterpreted  
rather badly by a certain thickheaded masked crusader of justice.  
  
*Thwack*  
  
Something hit Ranma in the back. It turned out to  
be a fancy walking cane and was about as effective on  
his Cosmic Armor as a piece of down. The sound of wood  
hitting something considerably harder then mere metal was  
rather annoying though. He decided to just ignore it and hope  
that this weirdo came to his senses, only a complete idiot  
would keep on attacking him like that.  
  
"Get away from them!!"  
  
*Thwhack**Thwack*  
  
[Well he's got guts. No brains, but guts.]  
  
~~~~~~  
-A few moments later  
  
*thwhack**thwack**thwack*  
  
The cane was looking much the worse for wear.  
It was meant as more of a gimmick really, great for  
parrying attacks or polevaulting but leaving  
something to be desired as a melee weapon. The  
cantrips that enchanted the wood were no match  
for Ranma's skin, let alone his armor.  
  
"*huff*-I will-*puff*-defeat-*gasp*-you-*wheeze*!"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen resolved to get more exercise after this  
was all over. Normally all he had to do was toss a rose in,  
make a pretty speech, maybe make a few fancy moves with  
his cane and "presto" the crisis was over. Consequently he  
had no stamina to speak of, only his pride was keeping him  
going this long. It didn't help his confidence any that his  
target didn't even seem to notice his best efforts.  
  
"Those ribs seem to be only bruised Miss...ah... I  
don't believe I've caught your name yet."  
  
"Mako...err I mean Sailor Jupiter! Yes,  
that's right, it's Sailor Jupiter."  
  
Ranma raised an eyebrow beneath his helm as his patient  
turned bright cherry red with embarrassment and laughed  
nervously.  
  
"Okay... hold still, this should only take a second."  
  
Once again the Rune weapon's healing ability went to work.  
Almost immediately Jupiter breathed easier as the pinching  
soreness eased around her midsection. Even the rest of her  
cuts and bruises didn't hurt as much as they had earlier. She  
wasn't afraid of this stranger anymore, his kindness just had  
to be genuine. He probably looked just like her old sempai  
underneath that tight armor.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement before  
going to see to the others, he totally missed  
the little hearts floating in the girl's eyes.  
  
But his path was suddenly blocked by a  
slightly exhausted caped crusader.  
  
"Hey you! Quit ignoring me!!"  
  
"Huh? You're still here? And still dressed like that?!"  
  
That was the last straw, an outraged Tuxedo Kamen  
threw a wild punch toward the armored form that  
seemed to just keep on mocking him.  
  
A moment later he was nursing severely bruised  
knuckles and doing his best not to scream from  
the pain. That action would be filed under the  
heading of *things you now know not to do*.  
  
"Knock it off, you're only hurting yourself Tux-boy."  
  
"Don't call me Tux-boy!"  
  
Sailor Jupiter picked that moment to drag Tuxedo Kamen  
off in order to explain to him a concept known as "punctuality".  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Shadow and Rowan exchanged  
looks then turned to Zora.  
  
"How much for a DVD of that scene?"  
  
"50,000 yen per disc."  
  
"We'll take ten."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High  
  
Akane Tendo was angry. While this was  
not a unusual state for her to be in, the cause of  
her irritable state today was. Ranma Saotome this,  
Ranma Saotome that, she was getting sick of hearing  
his name on the lips of what seemed to be every student  
on campus. Even the boys were talking about him, though  
they were only concerned about a.) finding a way to  
beat him by tomorrow morning or b.) find a way to  
become his buddies and benefit from it with the girls.  
The only exception to this was the Furinkan Martial  
Arts Club, they wanted to recruit Ranma so that they  
could finally trash their rival schools.  
  
What was worse, they'd all turned to her for more  
information about him since Nabiki tended to charge  
too much. Akane had enjoyed being the most popular  
person in school and though she'd never admit it,  
being upstaged like that had hit both her vanity and  
pride rather hard. Consequently any residual attraction  
she might have felt toward Ranma was now buried under  
a flood of outrage and annoyance at being practically  
forgotten by the entire school.  
  
"Akane, my love!"  
  
*Wham*  
  
Well, *almost* the entire school.  
  
Just wait till they got back to the dojo,  
then she'd show that showoff what a  
"true" martial artist couild do! Turn down  
her offer to spar and fight *her* battles for her  
would he, well she'd have the last laugh!!  
  
*Crack*  
*Boom*  
  
That was strange, why was there a storm  
suddenly brewing over the Juuban district?  
Today's forecast had said there'd be clear  
skies all day.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Juuban  
  
Ranma glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky with  
some concern, he could sense that the building storm  
wasn't entirely natural in origin. There was an almost  
electrical feeling in the air, as if every molecule had been  
supercharged with mystic potential. This didn't bode  
well, already he could feel his own power starting to  
flare up instinctively in response to the presence of so  
much excess psychic energy despite his efforts to keep his  
power signature to a minimum. An occasional spark of static  
electricity would briefly snap into existance around Ranma  
where his aura met the increasingly agitated atmosphere.  
  
Either he was in the middle of a leyline storm again or  
something or someone possessing as much potential  
psychic energy as all these girls combined was close by.  
And as far as he knew this part of Japan didn't even have  
leylines.  
  
Ranma was pretty sure that whatever it was wasn't like  
those diabolic monsters from before, figuring that he'd  
have gotten an early warning from his partner if that was so.  
That he wasn't starting to glow was also good sign, it meant  
that at least for the moment both parties were on the same polarity.  
If the other party was truly evil, his armor would have started  
to light up like a christmas tree from the negative charge.  
  
The electricity wasn't as promising, he could almost taste   
the hostility that was fueling it.  
  
{Someone doesn't seem to like me very much.}  
  
Something this big showing up so soon with a chip  
on its shoulder was more then just a coincidence,  
and it didn't take a genius to figure out what had  
probably attracted their attention. That ring he'd  
gotten from the Harpells must be on the fritz again.  
A magical artifact that didn't always work properly,  
most people would swear that was impossible. Of  
course most people had never met the Harpells before  
either.  
  
{Now if I only knew how to take the damn thing off...}  
  
Ranma tended to trust his feelings, another bit of wisdom  
from an old friend and teacher. Right now, those feelings  
were telling him that staying around to find out who was  
trying to find him would be a *very* bad idea. His hunters  
might not harber any ill intentions toward the other people  
here, but Ranma got the impression that whatever was out  
there would not be so lenient with him. Fighting here wouldn't  
solve anything, and it would put innocent lives in jeopardy.  
Better to confront them at a time and place of his choosing,  
hopefully one where a peaceful settlement could be reached.  
While his injuries always healed fast, they still hurt. And despite  
sordid rumors to the contrary, he was not a masochist!  
  
{Time to go.}  
  
Slipping away shouldn't be too much of a problem,  
it looked like everyone else's attention was on the little  
squabble taking place in front of him. He'd put away  
Ishtar once she was done healing the girls, no sense  
in tempting fate by leaving her out where she might  
change her mind about them. A jealous Rune Weapon  
was not a pretty sight, especially when she could read  
his thoughts as clearly as a book with glass pages. For  
a moment he almost reconsidered retrieving her again,  
the sense of unrelenting loathing had been nearly overpowering  
and her abilities could come in handy if worst came to worst.  
But he resisted the temptation, such an act might be viewed as  
provocation and Ranma was determined that if there was a  
fight that he wouldn't be the one that started it.  
  
Much to his amusement, after he'd finished healing them  
the girls wearing the colorful fukus had surrounded the poor  
chump in the formal eveningwear and were currently  
berating him within an inch of his life. Ranma had never  
seen a guy that wasn't already married look so whipped  
before, after this he'd probably never be able to take that  
Tuxedo character seriously ever again.  
  
Ranma was congratulating himself for his cleverness on having  
avoided a potentially sticky situation as he quietly walked  
away. Then a sultry voice stopped him in his tracks and  
brought the others' attention back to him.  
  
"Hold it right there buster."  
  
A stunning platinum blonde blocked his escape, some idle  
corner of Ranma's mind noted that it was the same woman  
who'd fallen out of the television. He also noticed that she  
seemed to be at least partly responsible for the magical  
saturation of the surrounding area. The small jolts of lightning  
that kept popping up around her as she approached him was a  
pretty definite confirmation of that.  
  
No doubt about it, he was in trouble again.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Tombiki High  
  
Somehow a television had been smuggled into  
class. A certain Shuutaro Mendo might have  
had something to do with that, but there was no  
proof that could be traced back to him.  
  
"What a babe!!"  
  
The most lecherous boy in the universe soon  
regretted his comment, however true it might  
have been.  
  
"Darling no baka!!!"  
  
Hell hath no fury like an Oni scorned.  
  
*ZAP*  
  
(To be continued)  



	20. Chapter 3h: The Perfect End To A Perfect...

~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3h: The Perfect End To A Perfect Day  
~~~~~~~  
  
Phaseworld Center, Free Trade Zone (Naruni Enterprise's Headquarters)  
  
Trader Smythers paced nervously, even within the relative security  
of his own office he didn't dare let his guard down. Being on the  
Board of Directors for Naruni meant that he had to not only worry  
about rivals such as the Splugorth, but threats from within the company  
as well. There were far too many ambitious beings surrounding him for  
Smythers to ever totally relax no matter how well he was protected.  
Especially now, the current operation that was on his authorization was  
both risky and potentially dangerous to the company itself. If any of the  
other members were to find out about this there was a more then likely  
chance that Smythers would be *retired* from the Board. Such a  
retirement usually involved a NE 20 mm plasma cartridge at point  
blank range.  
  
Yes, the risks of taking action were great. But the dangers of not doing anything   
at all were much, much greater. The information Saotome possessed couldn't   
destroy the company, but it would give Naruni's public reputation one heck   
of a black eye if it was ever made public. Yet Smythers had been unable   
to take any direct action against the troublesome officer while he had been   
surrounded by friends and connections. There would have been too many   
questions raised. Questions with dangerous answers, answers that might   
lead to old secrets that the Trader intended to keep buried at all costs.   
But now that the irritating flea had foolishly disconnected himself from   
his support network there was an opportunity here to finally get rid   
of the pesky threat once and for all. Separated from his allies,   
Saotome would simply quietly disappear, never to be heard from again.  
  
Smythers had no intention of wasting this chance he had been given.  
Any remaining trace of the botched M'kri affair would finally be  
eliminated. And if his agents could get their hands on the disc as well,   
so much the better.  
  
"Do you understand your orders? I want no mistakes this time."  
  
The dark metallic form that stood at attention nodded once.  
  
"Make absolutely sure that we can't be traced in any way to this."  
  
It nodded again with a trace of impatience, this briefing was unnecessary.  
It knew what had to be done, the orders had already been directly uploaded  
into its system. But Smythers was the one in charge, so it had to humor  
him.  
  
Thankfully, the director soon finished and dismissed the subordinate.  
It left the office quickly, this kind of business always left a bad taste  
in its internal recepters. In a way it was a pity really.  
  
Kehal Redge was a shrewd negotiator, one of the company's finest. But he  
was also a very efficient enforcer and downright lethal (though reluctant)  
assassin. Although he maintained a healthy professional respect for Ranma,  
that wouldn't stop him nor would it sway from his duty. Naruni Repo-bots  
served the company with no exceptions, no excuses, and no mercy.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-The planet Ristmoth  
  
The capital was in a state of revolt as Imperial garrisons  
battled rioting citizens for control of the city. Rebel  
warships bombarded any detected signs of military  
fortification from high orbit, paving the way for the  
descending transports. Meanwhile, armed with Naruni  
plasma rifles and portable missile launchers provided by  
the Alliance months before, the locals threw themselves  
against their long hated oppressors with a vengeance.  
  
Blood ran rampant in the streets as they clashed with  
seasoned Kreeghor shock troopers. Humans and D-bees  
alike died by the score against the well entrenched Imperial  
forces, but inch by costly inch they clawed their way forward.  
Civilian hovercars with hastily added armaments and portable  
force fields faced off against hovertanks and military class powered  
armors, only sheer numbers gave them any sort of edge against the  
superior army weaponry.  
  
It was a terrible slaughter that went on and on beyond any standard  
of sanity, men and women who had lost their weapons earlier were  
clawing and biting at their foes where the fighting had broken down  
into chaotic close combat. Against the natural armoring of the Kreeghor  
and Machine People troopers all their efforts were usually for naught  
and death usually followed swiftly. The rebels fared a tad better against  
the Human,Wolfen, and Silloutte troops, the sight of fellow soldiers being  
literally torn to shreds by wild-eyed rioters sent military morale plunging  
to new depths.  
  
Then someone came up with the bright idea of improvising weapons  
from the high tech construction equipment that lay across the city,  
abandoned by their owners at the beginning of the attack. Laser torches,  
plasma drills, and construction bots soon joined the general melee,  
and this time it was the Kreeghor's turns to do the dying.  
  
Bodies and pieces of bodies went flying everywhere as weapons  
and heavy explosives found their mark, even after centuries of  
refinement the business of warfare was still quite messy, and  
especially now it showed. Corpses started to quickly pile knee  
high in the streets, the smoking remains quickly growing rank  
under the putrefying heat of the glaring sun. More were pulped  
under the treads of high-tech armored killing machines that crushed  
enemy and ally alike indiscriminately.  
  
After a hundred years of pain and suffering under the  
iron foot of the Keeghor Empire, it was all finally being  
repaid in the work of a single brutal day. High Governor  
K'tarthkl'ppe Ryga had earned a special hatred in the  
hearts of the planet's people for his harsh rule and  
exploitation of those lacking enough funds to bribe him  
and his administration.  
  
Millions had died working as forced laborers in the most  
hazardous and ill equipped areas of the industrial areas,  
thousands more had been seized and sold into slavery on  
the slightest excuse or whim. The depravities that those  
poor souls were forced to endure made the slow lingering  
deaths of the workers by starvation, radiation poisoning,  
asphyxiation, and disease seem like a blessing.  
  
Ryga had grown fat while the populace starved to death   
just a few yards beyond his diamond gates. The rebellion   
had no intention of taking him alive, the sadistic monster   
had been responsible for too many outrages, had sent   
too many good people to their death. They would bring   
out his head on a pike to be paraded across the entire planet.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Dennis Skythe let loose a blistering oath as he picked off a sniper  
defending the governor's palace before ducking back down to avoid  
the return fire from the other troops defending the tyrant's stronghold.  
  
"Damn, I'm gettin' too old for this crap."  
  
Though his hair had gone completely milky white in the last  
few years and his body wasn't as strong as it had been, the  
general of the Resistance was still a formidable trooper.  
He signaled back to one of the soldiers in his squad, within  
moments a disposable one shot heavy rocket launcher was hauled  
up to his position behind one of the many fortified buildings  
that surrounded the decadent estate of the planetary tyrant.  
The cleverly designed Naruni weapon allowed Dennis to use the  
built in targeting to lock onto a heavy Dreadguard Tank defending  
the main entrance without exposing any part of himself to the enemy.  
A moment later a heavy armor piercing warhead came shooting down  
the street, penetrating deeply into the hard outer shell before exploding  
violently in the soft electrical innards of the machine. The thick blast  
armor actually increased the destruction caused by containing the explosion  
inside of the tank.  
  
With its propulsion system gone, there was nothing to keep gravity  
from asserting itself. The enormous hulk keeled over with a groan,  
squashing three troopers that weren't fast enough to get out of the  
way in time. Whoops and cheers erupted from the other rebels as  
they renewed their assault on the now rapidly weakening Imperial  
position. The high pitched whine of balls of energized particles being  
fired from Imperial rifles mingled with the roar of plasma discharges  
from the freedom fighter's own weapons.  
  
Skythe turned to see that the leaders of the revolt were  
making their way to him, despite his insistence that  
they remain back at a safer distance from the front lines.  
But there wasn't much he could do, this was their planet. He  
was just here as an advisor from the Free Worlds. The real  
leaders of this planet's rebellion were an unusual lot,  
two humans, a machine person, and a Silhouette. But they  
had all rallied under the cause of freedom, so now it was  
Skythe's job to keep them alive so that their dream  
would succeed. He sighed and wiped the sweat off of a brow that  
had the consistency of dried leather. Those civilian leader types  
were going to be the death of him, he just knew it. Then the grizzled  
old rebel looked up toward the clear blue sky where flashes of light  
still appeared every few moments.  
  
"I wager those fleet boys are having a peach of a time right now."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
BGM: Irresponsible Captain Tylor: The Soyokaze battle theme  
(Yes, it does have one!)  
-Above the planet  
  
"All hands brace for impact!!"  
  
Alarm klaxons sounded as the corvette made an abrupt right  
turn and rolled 90 degrees in a desperate attempt to either  
dodge, or failing that, to minimize the blast damage of the  
incoming bundles of high powered death.  
  
Though the Shadowstar prototype was fast and heavily armed,  
it had one major flaw. The ship's engines, no matter how advanced  
and powerful they were, could not supply the necessary power for  
*all* of the energy hungry systems onboard. Especially when in a  
combat situation, the ship's guns and forcefield simply required  
too much power in active mode, which meant that sacrifices among  
the nonessential systems had to be made. So in exchange for an  
armament that outgunned anything smaller then a good sized battleship,  
the crew was forced to put up with some rather trying inconveniences.  
  
One of the biggest of which had been the inertial dampeners, the device  
that kept the people onboard from being squashed to the thickness of  
a pancake every time the Untamed Stallion changed her velocity or  
direction. During non-combat operations it was set at the normal rate  
for a vessel of her size. But in battle the dampeners were reduced to  
their lowest possible safety setting to keep the enormous drain on the  
engines down, even then the strain of acceleration was so rough that  
the normal humans and D-bees were required to wear full environmental  
body armor to their stations.  
  
Sammy, the Untamed Stallion's navigator and helmsman was nearly  
thrown from her seat despite her safety harness as the force of inertia  
tried to smash her into the ceiling. She was forced to hang onto the  
guidance controls for dear life to prevent the ship from slipping out of  
her control. The plan had worked to a "T", the cruise missiles were  
currently doing their best to kill them instead of the transports. Now  
all they had to do survive their success long enough to deal with the  
stubborn warheads before they were blown to kingdom come.  
  
Point defense managed to take out one more before the rest closed in.  
  
One of the nine remaining missiles actually skidded off of the  
ship's shields before detonating, thanks to Sammy's amazing  
maneuvering only part of the blast caught the protective barrier.  
The bluish green energy bubble flickered momentarily as the  
damage was absorbed and dispersed across the entire facing side,  
but stabilized quickly as more power was drawn from the shield   
generators. The next three overshot their target and came around   
for another pass, but hot on their heels was the return fire from  
the corvette's guns.  
  
One of the missiles was winged but not badly enough to cause  
it to self destruct, the other two went into preprogrammed  
evasive maneuvers that were only partially successful.   
A lucky laser beam sliced off a stabilizer, sending the   
rocket careening wildly away from the ship and back into   
the planet's atmosphere where it impacted and detonated   
harmlessly. Another missile impacted against the Untamed   
Stallion's shield which still held, though the forcefield's   
color dimmed and became almost totally transparent as it   
was exposed to the full destructive fury of an uncontrolled   
antimatter reaction. Yet another missile was intercepted by   
point defense, but the last five came as a volley and there   
was no chance to dodge this time. The intrepid vessel was   
engulfed by the ensuing chain of explosions.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Eyecatch #5  
  
(Fade in)  
  
(Caption: Washu's guaranteed way to decide who Ranma ends up with!)  
  
(Overhead shot of a spinning roulette wheel, instead  
of numbers on the panels there are the names and pictures  
of various interested ladies.)  
  
(A SD version of Ranma's head is thrown in as a roulette  
ball. It goes bouncing along inside the spinning circle.)  
  
(SD Ranma Head: "Ouch! Oof! Hey! Doh!")  
  
(The little head passes several dozen names before it lands  
in Washu's panel and sticks there.)  
  
(Washu: "Oh my! It looks like the one Ranma is  
destined to be with is me!!")  
  
(The other girls: "Oh no you don't!!!")  
  
(Mihoshi: "Um...Washu, why is your panel coated with superglue?")  
  
(Washu: "Mihoshi!! *Sees that the girls aren't  
taking this development very well* Uh oh...")  
  
The SD head takes matters into its own hands and  
manages to free itself with some difficulty.)  
  
*Rip*  
  
SD Ranma Head: "Owww!! You girls are all nuts!! I'm outta here!!!"  
  
(It bounces out of the wheel and starts to escape.)  
  
(Washu: "Wait for me!!")  
  
(Washu runs after the bouncing head)  
  
(A moment later all the girls start chasing after them, telling  
SD Ranma to be a man and pick one of them. The strength of their  
argument is hampered by the fact that most of them are also packing  
several blunt instruments to *persuade* him who to pick.)  
  
(The real Ranma is shown to be hanging overhead with a resigned  
expression on his face. He's wrapped up in so many chains that it looks  
like he's in a metal cocoon.)  
  
(Ranma: "Would someone please untie me now?")  
  
(Fadeout)  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Juuban  
  
Urd walked straight up to Ranma. The fact that the  
Knight was bigger then she was didn't seem to deter  
her aggressive stance at all as she poked a manicured  
finger against his breastplate. It felt like she was tapping  
against a brick wall. That almost gave her pause for thought.  
  
Almost.  
  
"Okay you, I want some answers."  
  
"..."  
  
Ranma stayed silent.  
  
This whole situation was rapidly spiraling out  
of his control, and he didn't like it. But before  
he got himself into even more trouble then he probably  
was in already, he needed to know what in the Nine  
Bleedin' Hells he was dealing with here!  
  
{Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this again.  
But I can't keep plunging around blindly anymore, all  
the power in the universe won't save me if I don't have any  
idea of what (or who) I have to watch out for. So far the  
score is Murphy's Law: "Way too many to count", Saotome: "Zero".}  
  
A small unobtrusive brush of his left hand against his  
right forearm, an infusion of mystic energy from his  
internal reserves, and Ranma's vision suddenly changed as  
his eyes now saw into a medium beyond the spectrum  
of visible light or conventional instruments, simultaneously  
expanding and narrowing his focus and opening his awareness to  
a realm of sensitivity where he was normally blind as a bat.  
The darkening surroundings now glowed softly with occasional  
blue flares marking the swirling eddies of power that fed   
the hungry storm brewing overhead. A second look at Urd was   
enough to cause Ranma to tense up involuntarily and take a   
wary step back.  
  
This was bad.  
  
This was very bad.  
  
This was "The Universe is using me as its personal chamberpot" bad.  
  
Most normal people tended to have auras that were little  
more then blobs of grey with the occasional streak of red, blue,  
black, green, yellow, or pink to determine alignment. Those who  
were either naturally strong in the supernatural or had trained  
themselves in the way of magic had auras that were rough  
approximations of their natural form and were usually a mixture  
of one or more of the basic colors. Adult dragons and the like had  
auras that were even more impressive, individual details peculiar  
to the being in question could often be made out by those who  
could see it.  
  
The auras overlaying this exotic woman's physical body were *very*  
realistic. That's right, auras, as in plural. The first one was   
an almost perfect replica of the original body, right down to the   
individual strands of hair cascading down her neck. It was the   
second one that towered over the first that sent a shiver down  
his spine, seeing the true form of a kami tends to have that   
effect on anyone that's not one of them, even a Cosmoknight   
wasn't immune from the effect. It also didn't help Ranma's   
confidence any that both auras looked a *lot* more substantial   
then the 'real' form.  
  
The other little thing was the telling lack of any garments   
on those images. Not that Ranma really noticed this,   
since it didn't have any tactical significance that   
little observation was shuffled off to a far distant   
corner of his otherwise preoccupied mind where it would   
be filed away with all those other little things that   
Saotome either didn't think were important or just didn't understand.  
While this dusty little corner wasn't as big as it used to be,   
it still maintained a respectable amount of volume.  
  
What he did know was:  
1.) This lady wasn't human.  
2.) She was *much* more intimidating than an adult dragon.  
3.) Judging from the way the intensity of the colors kept  
constantly shifting from one extreme to another, while she  
had oodles and oodles of power, she almost certainly lacked control.  
  
That was both a good thing and a bad thing, good because  
it meant that she probably wouldn't be able to cast any of  
those really nasty high level spells that required discipline  
and focus. Bad, because if things came down to a fight there  
was absolutely *nothing* more dangerous then an unpredictable  
female. Well...except perhaps a group of jealous unpredictable  
females...(ahem) getting back to the current crisis at hand...  
  
Reflexively he looked over his shoulder for a way out.  
No dice, eight pairs of eyes were looking right back at him.  
  
{Wait a second. Eight?}  
  
You could almost see those little gears turning in his head  
come screeching to a halt. Now that Ranma could actually  
'see' them, he was getting quite an eyeful.  
  
The tall girl in the green fuku was mostly a mixture of medium  
green and blue, with green holding dominance. No surprise there.  
What was a surprise was that instead of manifesting as a person  
or creature like most beings, her inner self was projected as a tree.  
A tall majestic oak tree to be precise. Ranma had heard stories  
about this kind of thing, it was rumored that occasionally those  
with strong ties to nature and the natural order reflected that bond  
in their auras. There was also a small red stain that ran into the  
very heart of the tree that looked like an old emotional wound that  
had never fully healed. He prayed that the light pink tint on the  
very fringes was a mistake, that kinda thing was only supposed  
to plague his human form.  
  
The girl in the blue fuku was slightly more normal.  
'Slightly' being the key word here. A standard  
'real-form' projection, while not as luminous  
as the others it was remarkably well structured.  
Almost completely ocean blue, her aura was  
a textbook example of calm and tranquility.   
This would be a good person to cover his back in  
a fight, someone who remained cool under fire.  
It didn't hurt matters any that she wasn't hard on the  
eyes either. She looked like his best chance to talk  
things out later if he ever ran into these girls again,  
a possibility that he was finding more and more likely  
with every passing moment.  
  
Now, the cute blonde in the orange fuku wasn't what  
he'd expected. Her colors were much richer in tone  
then her companions, but the very fringes were worn  
and lacked a certain vibrancy that the others had.  
This one wasn't a stranger to battle, definitely some combat  
experience here. She looked pretty good (nowhere near his  
level of course), but there seemed to be some kind of block  
that was keeping most of her potential locked up. It required  
some pretty heavy duty magic to accomplish something like that,  
but for what reason? Uh oh, that pink showing was definitely there  
and getting more solid every minute. Definitely not good!  
  
The quiet one in the violet fuku seemed normal enough, but a  
little *too* normal. Despite the fact that it was exactly what he'd  
expect from someone her age with some minor psychic ability  
it just didn't seem to fit with the person he saw before him. But  
try as he might Ranma couldn't find anything else, she had a benevolent  
alignment and possessed a small amount of supernatural talent and  
that was it. But still, something about her aura bothered him...  
  
Now Mr. Fashion Embarrassment wasn't much to look at. Ranma  
had seen imps with more impressive fighting spirit. With such  
a weak aura challenging even a minor supernatural fiend would  
be an automatic death sentence. This guy was either really brave,  
really stupid, or just plain nuts. Judging from his earlier actions,  
Ranma was willing to lay money on the latter theories. But maybe,  
just maybe, by the smallest, most remote margins of possibilities,  
that little spark of power within his soul might actually amount to  
something worthwhile under the right circumstances.  
  
The little girl he'd rescued was another story all together. In  
all his years adventuring he had never seen anything even  
remotely like this. A natural living Power Nexus, and untrained  
to boot. No wonder those things had been after her, she was a  
walking battery of potential psychic energy! Although unable to  
use the power that they generated for themselves, with the proper  
training these incredibly rare talents could temporarily boost another  
person's personal power. This would allow a magic user to cast spells  
and attempt rituals normally only possible during solstices and solar  
eclipses, special times when magic was at its strongest.   
But it normally took decades of training to achieve the   
abilities of a Nexus and only a dedicated few had ever   
succeeded to the best of his knowledge.  
  
{What's going on here?!}  
  
He almost missed the news crew. Compared to everyone else there they  
were like weak shadows on the wall, eclipsed by the brilliant lights  
shining around them. In fact he would have missed them entirely if   
the one holding the camera hadn't come closer for a better angle.   
The sudden movement in his direction caused him to instinctively   
focus his attention on them, but he quickly determined that they   
were no threat.  
  
Out of curiosity Ranma did a quick scan of the girl   
that was still unconscious. She was a Godling as   
he'd guessed earlier, the signs were unmistakable now.  
  
His effort was also rewarded with a fascinating discovery,   
yet another double aura! Not anywhere near as strong as   
that mystery woman's, but remarkable nonetheless.   
There was even a faint resemblence to the other aura,   
were they siblings? If so, that might explain the woman's   
agitation.  
  
That little nagging feeling that something was wrong was back...  
  
{Wait a second. A news crew?}  
  
The full impact finally started to sink in.  
  
{...A NEWS CREW?!!}  
  
The equation was simple, but not at all comforting.  
  
Media + Cosmoknight = A whole lotta trouble.  
  
And that also meant...  
  
...Uh oh.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey! Are you hard of hearing or something?"  
  
Seeing that no response was forthcoming,  
Urd decided to change her tactics. The buxom  
goddess stalked forward until she was practically  
in the poor guy's faceplate. Her voice took on a  
sultry tone, and her body started to move in ways  
that made it quite clear that she was very much a  
woman.  
  
"Well? I'm waiting for an explanation."  
  
She emphasized her point by somehow getting even *closer*.  
You could now slip one, maybe even two sheets of paper  
between their respective forms, but no more.  
  
The Inner Senshi glared.  
  
The news crew started drooling.  
  
Ranma was suddenly very grateful for his armor's   
ability to automatically adjust itself to fit his   
form, thereby avoiding a potentially embarrassing  
predicament. Of course given the circumstances   
he would have had to be dead as a doornail *not*   
to be affected.  
  
{Well, at least it can't get any worse.}  
  
"So are we."  
  
Oh damn.  
  
{Just had to think it, didn't I.}  
  
The rest of the Outer Senshi were here.  
  
~~~~~~~  
BGM: Space Lonely Soldier (Megumi Hayashibara)  
  
With a resigned sense of dread Ranma looked up.  
  
"I am the protector of a new age, Sailor Uranus!"  
  
"I am the soldier of elegance, Sailor Neptune."  
  
{Oh boy...}  
  
The other girls he could understand,   
they were still young enough to get   
away with the whole fuku thing.   
He might not approve of their choice   
of combat apparel, but at least it  
wasn't tacky. The same could not be   
said of these new arrivals.  
  
The short haired blonde could have passed for a good looking guy,  
at least until you looked below the neck. Not exactly his type,   
but she was a looker in her own right. Of course her attractiveness   
was dimmed a bit by the dark looks she was giving him.   
Talk about hostility, this one was just oozing bad vibes.  
Nice legs though.  
  
The girl with sea-green hair was a bit nicer to look at,   
but still seemed out of place in the fuku. She was harder   
to read, her expression was as cool as ice. But it was   
a safe guess to say that her intentions were not  
friendly. One did not make a dramatic entrance   
from a strategically advantageous spot in order   
to invite someone to tea and crumpets.  
  
Unfortunately these two had the power   
to back up their pretty speeches.   
One of them alone he could have handled   
with little worry, but dealing with  
both at once would probably require   
more then he was able to use in a  
heavily populated area. His ethical   
and moral code would not allow him   
to risk such an action unless it was   
a real emergency.   
  
This hadn't reached that point of no return yet,   
but it was getting there.  
  
Their psychic energy signatures were each about half  
as strong as his own, which meant that they were about  
twice as powerful as the fuku wearing girls who were  
already here. Unfortunately their higher level of experience  
also meant that they could partially shield their auras from  
his detection. There was no telling what other kind of  
nasty surprises they might be hiding, he'd have to treat it  
as a worse case scenerio until he knew otherwise. Ranma  
especially did not like the look of that sword. It had to be  
magical, nobody in their right mind would ever use such a  
silly looking weapon unless it was enchanted with some  
heavy duty power ups. Too bad that his tattoo didn't allow  
him to check items, it only worked on living things.  
  
The third member of their troop was a whole different  
story altogether. Not only was she the best looking   
of the three but her power level was...  
  
{Oh shit.}  
  
(To be continued...)  



	21. Chapter 3i: Living in Interesting Times

~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3i: Living in Interesting Times  
~~~~~~~  
  
-RIFTS Earth   
  
Over five miles below the tranquil surface of the Pacific Ocean   
an ancient evil raged. In the depths of the Mariana Trench   
unfortunate minions who came too close were simply crushed   
into pulpy jelly by the Reachers. Hundreds of miles of black tentacles   
whipped violently to batter rocks, water, and flesh indiscriminately.   
A monstrosity so gigantic and hideous that the mere sight could drive a   
man to madness, this was the undisputed terror of the seas. Kraken,   
Leviathan, Terror of the Deep, Nightmare Beast, all names given to   
the horror through the ages. This was the Lord of the Deep,   
one of the most powerful Alien Intelligences in the Multiverse.   
  
A being of unimaginable age and power that now found itself   
threatened for the first time in its existance by insignificant mites.   
  
The Lord of the Deep was angry.   
  
In the last score of years more of its kind had been destroyed then   
had perished in the past millenia. In the Americas, silence was the   
only response where once over a dozen of its brethren had answered   
its calls. It had felt the One of Many Faces perish in England only   
a handful of years ago, not so long a time for an Intelligence.   
It had not been the Long Sleep of before either, this time the   
Final Death had overtaken it. There had been others, weaker cousins   
that were barely related only in name who had fallen one by one by   
one means or another as well. More often then not a particularly   
unique energy signature was associated with their deaths.   
A signature that the Lord of the Deep marked well, for none   
could hunt the Masters with such impunity and be allowed to live.   
  
That a puny mortal dared to do so was utterly intolerable.   
  
But it was also beginning to experience the first signs of something   
that its alien mind had never felt before. In a human, that emotion   
would have been called fear. Dimly did it remember the only other   
time that so many of its kin had died, during the War with the Old Ones.   
Few dared to risk the wrath of their power now, but there was something   
eerily familar about this one that dared to kill those who were gods in all   
but name.   
  
Something from long ago...  
  
The physical outburst was replaced by a silence that was in its own way   
even worse then the former violence. All those nearby who still lived   
and could move left as quickly as possible as the Leviathan settled down   
and brooded deep within itself.   
  
For yet another part of Current-Rider's prophecy had been fullfilled.   
And with each step accomplished the Leviathan's time drew   
one day nearer to its end. It knew this, though the creature   
did not know how it knew. The Age of the Intelligences was   
drawing to a close. They had existed for far too long, their time was   
over. Yet the vile creatures refused to succumb to the inevitable and   
continued to live on in defiance of the natural order of things.   
But now, an end this perversion of the Balance was beginning   
to taking place.   
  
That Cursed Prophecy!   
  
In the hopes finding out how to destroy the Lord of the Deep   
a brave group of wizards had dared to cast a spell never before   
tried. All who participated had died in the attempt, except for   
one. Current-Rider, a fusion of man and whale and the first Spellsinger,   
who was struck blind and could only remember these words;   
  
"A Band of Warriors, brave and strong.   
A Circle of Wizards, wise and clever.   
The Largest War Machine.   
The Eternal Flame Blade.   
The Fires of the Cosmic Forge.   
The One True Eye of Eylor.   
The Strength of an Unbeliever.   
A Hundred Years War.   
When All are Done, the Lord of the Deep will Fall."   
-Prophecy of the Deep   
  
For the Spellsinger had glimpsed something that mortal eyes   
were never meant to see. In truth the words he remembered   
were merely a fragment, that had been all that his mind and soul   
had been able to stand without collapsing in on itself.   
  
But Current-Rider's action had already been preordained by the Prophecy.   
As had so many other events now taking place. A Prophecy which would   
shake the very foundations of the Multiverse as it ran its course...  
  
~~~~~~   
-Elsewhere   
  
Such a strange dream. But why couldn't she remember it clearly?   
Come to think of it, why was it so dark? And why did her head hurt   
so much? Had she overslept and missed her shift again?! Wait a second,   
calm down, what was the last thing she remembered?   
  
{We were escorting the transports...then the plantery base tried a last ditch   
missile assault. The convoy tried to intercept them but some got through...so   
the commander turned us into a decoy to lure the remaining missiles away...   
it worked but then we couldn't take them out fast enough and some of them   
got through...}   
  
And then...and then?   
  
Nothing. Just the memory of a blinding   
white flash followed by total darkness.   
  
She wondered if she was dead. She decided   
against that possibility when another hot lance of pain   
shot through her temples. If she was dead then it   
wouldn't hurt so much, she decided.   
  
Gunner Brandy Corbin bravely opened one eye wide   
and immediately regretted it. It felt like her brain had just   
caught on fire and someone was sprinkling kerosene on it.   
  
{Ow ow ow!! Too bright!!}   
  
A few seconds later she risked the dizzying pain again, only   
this time Brandy only took a small look as she gave her body   
time to get used to the emergency lights. It helped a little,   
but the effort still left her drained.   
  
Brandy coughed raggedly, the smell of smoke and scorched   
wiring hang heavily in the air. Though it wasn't very pleasant,   
it did beat some of the alternatives. At least there was air   
to breathe. She also didn't hear the dreaded whistling of atmosphere   
escaping into the vacuum of space. So it appeared that the turret's   
structural integrity hadn't been compromised. But judging from the   
damage to her station it looked like the power grid had overloaded   
and blown out half of the circuits while frying the rest to a crisp.   
  
Lifting her head up the petite Inquisiter was rewarded by abused nerves   
informing her about a whole new batch of aches and pains as her body   
violently protested against any further movement. Despite that she somehow   
managed to achieve a position more vertical then horizontal and   
began to take an assessment of the current situation.   
  
It had been close. How close exactly was revealed when the gunner   
looked down. Brandy blanched at the sight of what was left of her console.   
It looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of it. Without her Shield of   
Inner Strength she would have been impaled by the dagger-like fragments   
from the explosion. Summoning it had been the last thing she remembered   
doing before losing consciousness. The blunted pieces now formed a large   
pile in front of her where they had landed after impacting into the force field.   
  
Even with the protection of the supernatural barrier it soon   
became apparent that she had not totally escaped from harm.   
A warm stickiness running down her right ear proved to be blood   
from a long shallow cut near the top of her head. The young woman   
swore softly as she tentatively touched the edges of the wound. There   
was no telling what other injuries she had at the moment short of a trip   
to the Med-bay. Which meant that Lotion would most likely try to jam   
another one of her noxious concotions down her throat. The ship's healer   
was notorious among the crew for preferring old fashioned remedies over   
high-tech equipment and synthetic medicines whenever possible. Most   
of those cures usually involved making the victim ingest large quantities   
of substances whose actual origins were questionable at best. In many   
cases the cure was often considered worse then the ailment. However,   
there was method to her eccentricity. So far all of Lotion's potions had   
worked, which was the only reason why the crew had put up with them   
as long as they had. Needless to say, those who possessed their own   
regenerative abilities or healing powers were much envied by the   
crewmembers who did not.   
  
Then Corbin paled again as she remembered that she wasn't the only   
person manning the turret.   
  
{Oh shit!! Amanda!!}   
  
The time it tool her to unstrap herself from the seat's safety harness   
was the longest minute of her life. As soon as she the last seal unlocked   
Brandy started frantically looking for any sign of her co-gunner and friend.   
  
She didn't have search very far. A dark stain on the far side of   
the turret drew her attention and from there the gunner quickly   
found what was left of Amanda.   
  
Bile rose in her throat as Brandy's shocked brain tried to make   
sense of the havoc. Although farther away from the console   
Amanda had not had a personal forcefield to protect her.   
That station had been blown violently outward and collapsed   
partially on top of the woman. Corbin knew that everything   
from the pelvis down had to have been crushed by the sheer   
weight. One arm hung like a marionette's, twisted at a nightmarish   
angle. Fearing the worst Brandy bent down to check for a pulse.   
  
Nothing.   
  
Still she kept trying, hoping.   
  
Still nothing...wait.   
  
There it was. Faint and thready, but stable for the moment at least.   
  
*...'...*   
  
Tears of relief filled her eyes.   
  
"Shhh. Save your strength."   
  
"..s...sh..shit.....th...that...hurt...."   
  
One aqua blue eye hesitatingly opened. It had nearly swollen   
shut and was the skin around it was even now an awful purplish   
black. The rest of her wasn't in much better condition.   
  
"...how bad is it? I....I...can't feel my legs."   
  
"...."   
  
Brandy averted her eyes, unable to actually say a   
comforting lie yet not wanting to tell her friend the   
gruesome truth.   
  
"...that bad huh."   
  
"I....I'm sorry."   
  
"D..don't be. I knew the risks w..wh..when I signed up."   
  
Amanda started coughing raggedly as splashes of dark   
crimson decorated the floor.   
  
"Just hang on!"   
  
Rising to her feet she moved to where the internal comm   
system was and prayed that it was still working. Brandy   
slammed her hand on the red distress button with all of   
her strength.   
  
"Medical Emergency in Turret 3!! Get someone down here NOW!!!"   
  
~~~~~~~~   
-Ground Zero   
  
Well, it looked like he'd found the cause of the disturbance.   
Or rather, she had found him. It was enough to make a   
guy think that he was cursed or something.   
  
Was a fair chance for once really too much to ask of Lady Luck?   
  
{Well, judging from my current situation I'd say the answer is "Yes".}   
  
He did have to admit though, that rarely did trouble come in such an   
attractive package. She was quite...exceptional, and her fighting ability   
wasn't anything to sneeze at either. Long dark green hair, exotic red eyes   
on a classic ageless complexion, a trim waist that most women would   
kill for, smooth thighs with just enough muscle for a healthy figure, and a   
chest that were certainly more than ample...  
  
*whap*   
  
{Bad thought! Bad thought!!}   
  
He mentally slapped himself, that kind of thinking   
would definitely get him into trouble! He had more then   
enough girl problems as it was, the last thing he needed   
was *more* of them. Especially when the woman in   
question eclipsed everyone's auras there, even his!   
  
The Cosmoknight had no trouble registering this Senshi's Power,   
it had reached a level where it was so strong that it was simply   
*impossible* to conceal. Ranma knew that although he was good,   
he wasn't anywhere even remotely near the real powerhouses of   
the Multiverse. Still, his current level of ability wasn't anything to   
sneer at either. If necessary he could reduce a large city to a   
blackened crater without even half trying. However, what he was facing   
was on the magnitude of continental devastation, perhaps even extending   
to a global level of impact. In either case, he had about as much   
a chance in a direct confrontation as a butterfly against a thermonuclear   
warhead. Except that you could probably get better odds on the butterfly.   
  
Oh man, she looked like she'd like nothing better to do then to crack him   
open like a walnut with that solid looking staff she was carrying. What was   
even more unnerving was the way her crimson eyes seemed to pierce through   
his armor's faceplate as though it wasn't even there. He had to fight the urge to flinch.   
  
Whoever she was, she was obviously a lot older and much more experienced then   
he could ever hope to achieve in a hundred years. The Knight could see it in her eyes,   
she had that look. The one that said she'd seen it all, done it all, and gotten the free   
T-shirt to boot. He was *way* out of his league here!   
  
To make matters even worse, the alarm he felt was starting to be compounded   
by the slow burning flames of desire, an extremely volatile combination indeed.   
Already awakened by the bronze skinned goddess who was still much too   
close for his comfort, his more primal instincts were calling for, no, make that   
demanding that he make up for denying them for so long.   
  
{This is nuts! She wants to kill me for crying out loud!!}   
  
Sadly, Ranma's hormones were not listening to the head that had the brains.   
They weren't about to let a little thing like his impending demise get in the way   
of an opportunity to have some fun. Something irresistible was drawing him to her,   
like a hapless moth to the beckoning flame.   
  
{Stop it!! Damn it Saotome, pull yourself together!!!}   
  
The violence of his reaction shocked him to the core, such a loss of self   
control was completely out of character for him. He was a Knight of the Forge   
and yet here he was acting like some poor sap who had never even seen a woman   
before. Something was wrong, he didn't understand what was happening to him.   
What kind of power did this woman possess that could cause this   
uncertain feeling inside of him?   
  
His subconscious knew, even if Saotome himself didn't.   
Such a pity that he'd used the *cursed* scrolls of Sinanju   
to learn the secrets of Anything Goes Marital Arts all those   
years ago...   
  
~~~~~~   
  
Shadow shook his head, not sure whether or not   
he should laugh or groan. Perhaps both. At this rate   
the women were going to eat him alive.   
  
"He's still pretty dense for someone so intelligent."   
  
The Bard let a small puff of air escape from his mouth.   
  
"Yes, it's rather sad actually."   
  
"It gets worse."   
  
The pair turned toward Zora.   
  
"We already knew that."   
  
~~~~~~   
-Not the safest place to be   
  
Sailor Pluto shook her head to clear it of the strange   
sensations that had momentarily disturbed her normally   
unshakable composure. An odd sense of excitement   
coupled with a nervousness utterly foreign to the Time   
Guardian had seized her upon getting her first good look   
of the troublemaker that had forced her to intervene in the   
timeline. Almost as if there had been a connection between   
them for the briefest of moments. This wasn't what she had   
been expecting, not by a long shot. For the second time in   
the same century Sailor Pluto was caught off guard. This   
was starting to get out of hand, she was *not* supposed to be   
surprised!   
  
Pluto had absolutely no idea what this stranger was, yet he seemed strangely   
familar. But to the best of her extensive knowledge she had no recollection of   
ever meeting anyone from either side that looked like this. She scanned   
him closely, noting the predatory lines of his form and disquieting sense   
of "presence" that surrounded him. Her eyes narrowed slightly as   
she noted that the voluptuous platinum blonde seemed to be   
all but glued to his front.   
  
An unfamiliar pang of...disgust?...anger?...jealousy?!...envy?! struck.   
Why did she feel such a strong desire to separate the two of them?   
And why did the image of a *100 ton* mallet suddenly pop into her head?   
She was supposed to be removed from such things, the Guardian of the   
Time couldn't afford such luxury of human emotions. But the sentiment   
was there regardless, something within him was calling to a part of her   
that she'd thought had been buried forever. Pluto didn't like this feeling at all,   
it was so messy and strange. She told herself that it was only a temporary thing   
that would go away once the stranger was dealt with, but that rebellious part of   
her that had been reawakened refused to listen.   
  
"Who are you?"   
  
The slight tremor in her voice was practically unnoticable, but   
she still cursed herself for it even existing in the first place.   
  
"I should be asking you the same question."   
  
Somehow Ranma managed to extract himself from Urd's clutches   
between one moment and the next as he went on the offensive.   
Not all fights were won with force, perhaps if he took the initiative   
they could avoid something that they both would most likely regret.   
If she beat him he lost, if he somehow managed to beat her he'd still   
come out as the loser. And for some reason just the thought of having   
to raise his hand against her made something inside him cry out in protest.   
  
After all, it couldn't hurt to....   
  
{Oh that's right, "Do or do not, there is no try".   
You just had to drum that into my head didn't you, Luke.}   
  
~~~~~~~~   
-Not far enough   
  
"Oh ho. So this is what you're up to Urd."   
  
Demoness First Class Mara grinned nastily from   
her perch above the action. The thrice-bedamned   
temple was locked up tighter then a miser's safe,   
she'd found that out the hard way this morning while   
attempting to fullfill her mission of making Morisato's   
life miserable.   
  
It had been quite a shocking experience, thus her current   
surveillance. It would be awhile till she was back up to full power   
and since she couldn't get inside, that left causing trouble for   
whoever was unfortunate to be outside the safety of the Ultimate   
Ward of Protection. How fortunate that a sudden enormous burst   
of divine energy from this district had caught her attention.   
Now not only did she have the little techno-brat and Urd out   
in the open, but as a *bonus* the newcomer was here as well.   
This promised to be a profitable situation, her favorite kind.   
  
{Now if Senbei manages to do his job properly,   
things should start to get very interesting.}   
  
The tiny imp had been ordered into action as soon as she'd   
spotted Urd making a play for the stranger.   
With his talents, a misunderstanding was sure to occur   
and mayhem inevitable. At worst it would be a temporary   
split that she could exploit, best case would be for the stranger   
to be forced to reveal how powerful he really was, the Forces   
of Darkness were always looking for new recruits. If he was   
good enough to stand up against that kind of firepower...  
  
She might even be tempted to bring him in herself   
if he turned out to be worth her while.   
  
A win/win scenerio, sometimes being evil paid off in spades.   
  
Only one nagging little thing still bothered her, the discharge   
of Holy Power from here that had caught her attention had   
not come from either of the Goddesses on the scene.   
Mara had come to recognize the power signatures of all three   
from first hand experience, and that hadn't been Belldandy's   
doing either. But there were no signs of any other higher   
powers here, divine or infernal. Strange indeed, that Power   
definitely had a female's markings all over it, but the   
nature of the emanations disturbed her, they had been   
far too old to have come from any of the current pantheons.   
  
~~~~~   
  
Ranma gestured toward the other Senshi   
on the street.   
  
"I'm not the villain here, your friends can   
vouch for that."   
  
At least he assumed that the similar fukus   
were a standard uniform for all of them.   
His luck would be running true to form if it turned   
out that they were actually blood enemies instead.   
  
"That's right! Can't you give him a chance Pluto?"   
  
Jupiter was the unsurprisingly the first to speak in their   
rescuer's defense. Why should Usagi be the only one to   
get the hero?   
  
Venus was of a like mind. Surely the others would   
understand once she explained she had called dibs   
on him, right?   
  
"Yeah! He really shoved his sausage up our furnace!"   
  
{{Huh?!}}   
  
Everyone turned toward Senshi of Love with wide eyes and   
even wider sweatdrops on the back of their respective   
heads (and helmet).   
  
"What? What'd I say?"   
  
A redfaced Mercury explained while looking anywhere except   
directly at her fellow Senshi.   
  
"Venus, that's supposed to be "Pulled our bacon out of the fire.""   
  
"Oopsie."   
  
*CRASH*   
  
Throughout Japan a not-so-mysterious occurence   
of simultaneous facefaults took place.   
  
~~~~~~   
-Where Legends Dwell   
  
"Trapping your knight with your own pieces? That's not like you."   
  
-It is the beginning and the ending of the Circle.-  
  
"Did you say something?"   
  
A beak could not frown. But the figure came as close to   
it as his features permitted. He loved a good intellectual challenge   
as much as the next person, but still there were times when even   
he wished that things could be simpler then they were. Moves within   
moves, games within games, always were there too many secrets.   
Sometimes he envied the mortals and the way they lived their lives in   
blessed ignorance of the many tangled webs of power being woven   
among the fabric of reality.   
  
He sighed, such was not to be their fate. But for life of him he still   
couldn't comprehend what sort of strategy he was facing. There was   
no order, no patterns this time, instead the moves were seemingly at   
random and utterly chaotic in their effect on the game. But now it   
seemed that the other side had finally stumbled on an impasse.   
  
"There's nowhere left for him to go."   
  
[Only if he plays by the rules.]   
  
~~~~~   
  
"I don't want to fight you."   
  
Pluto hesitated, her determination wavering for the   
briefest of moments. There was something incredibly   
compelling about his voice, a quality that made her   
want to believe him despite her better judgment.   
  
What if he was telling truth? Could he actually be   
an ally instead of yet another enemy?   
  
No, said the part of her that was a Senshi. He was   
a man, and the power had always corrupted them   
in the end no matter how noble they might have been in   
the beginning.(1) They could never be trusted, betrayal   
was inevitable. Perhaps he came in peace today, but   
what of tomorrow? Best not to take the chance, her   
warrior's instincts cried out to destroy him on the spot.   
  
Yes, said another voice. It urged her to trust him, to let go   
of the old fears and suspicions. If he was evil then why was   
there no general feeling of malice or hatred surrounding him?   
Serenity had once spoken of other forces who had come from   
beyond their dimension to aid the founders of the Moon Kingdom,   
a legend so ancient that it had only been passed down from each   
descending Queen to the next. If Usagi hadn't been so young and   
the danger from the Earth so great then the Queen would not have   
had to entrust that knowledge with the Keeper of Secrets during   
the last days of the Silver Millenium. So there were others besides   
the Dark Ones, it was possible...   
  
But how to be sure?   
  
"Neptune."   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"I need you to use your Mirror."   
  
"Alright, but what am I supposed to be looking for?"   
  
"The truth."   
  
~~~~~~~   
-Trouble   
  
Senbei, Sub-Demon of Unhappiness and Misfortune,   
Second class Limited license, was getting ready for his   
happy level to go up, up, up!   
  
"Heh heh heh! Let the unhappy begin!"   
  
Sailor Neptune frowned as she concentrated harder,   
trying to get the image in the Mirror to focus. Yet the   
murky cloud still remained there despite her best efforts.   
She couldn't get a clear reading about him either way,   
the Knight might as well have been a granite statue for   
all that the artifact was able to tell her.   
  
Finally the Neptune shook her head in a mixture of   
frustration and defeat.   
  
"I'm sorry Pluto, the Mirror either can't or won't   
show me anything about him."   
  
"I see."   
  
Although alarmed by this setback, Pluto's mind was   
still open. A few more minutes and Ranma might   
have been able to bridge the gulf of suspicion and   
mistrust that seperated them. But that was when   
Senbei's surprise went off.   
  
~~~~~~   
-Phaseworld Center   
  
Katrina suddenly stopped and shivered as a dark   
chill seemed to brush across her very soul. It was too   
much like the panic attacks she had suffered a few years   
ago during the Gathering of Heroes. The unrelenting feeling   
of terror, of being absolutely helpless to do anything, those   
old fears threatened to drag her down once more into the darkness.   
  
"No...no....NO!!"   
  
"Are you all right?"   
  
Her guide looked at her with a worried expression on his face.   
  
"I..I'm fine. Just a bad memory."   
  
The D-bee nodded and turned away even though he wasn't   
completely convinced. The Alliance paid him to *not* ask   
questions, and anyway he wanted absolutely nothing to do   
with that crazy Saotome or any of his women.   
  
Especially this one. There was something about her that   
made him as nervous as a cat in a room full of sleeping   
pit bulls. If the money for this job hadn't been so good.....   
  
"Ranma..."   
  
The way she said that name sent cold shivers   
down the guide's spine. Yes, as soon as his task   
was finished and payment delivered he was getting   
as far away from her as possible!   
  
~~~~~~   
-In a galaxy far, far away...   
  
"Master Skywalker! Are you all right?"   
  
"I'm fine, but just for a moment I thought I felt   
a great disturbance in the Force."   
  
Strange, why did he suddenly find himself thinking   
about an old friend now of all times? It had been years   
since his former student had left, but he would never   
forget Saotome. Never had a more brash and headstrong   
individual ever succeeded in passing the Jedi training, quite   
an accomplishment when Ranma was barely able to tap into   
even the most basic aspects of the Force. But now there was   
a sense of urgency to those memories, yet for the life of him   
he didn't know why.   
  
{Something has happened. But what?}   
  
Even a Jedi Master must wonder sometimes.   
  
~~~~~~   
-You Are So Screwed.  
  
Unnoticed by Neptune, her artifact began to   
grow dark as the barely adaquate forces of   
adversity went to work.   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
{Someone's being very sloppy.}  
  
Urd glanced around curiously, someone nearby was   
expending quite a bit of magical power and if   
the amount of leakage she was picking up was   
any indication they obviously weren't very good at it.  
  
{Now where have I seen that style before?}  
  
The identity of the culprit was right on   
the tip of her tongue when her attention   
was suddenly called back to the little  
drama unfolding in front of her. It looked   
like the final act was about to begin.  
  
~~~~~~  
-You Think You Have Problems?  
  
{I am not going to panic. It's   
nonproductive and a waste of energy.  
There has to be some kind of logical  
explanation for all of this phemonena.}  
  
Sailor Mercury kept telling herself that   
as her VR visor hiccuped and finally   
started displaying something coherent.  
  
"Eep."  
  
That statement pretty much summed up   
her feelings when the nature of the   
data she was currently receiving became  
clear.   
  
{This can't be right! There has to be   
some kind of mistake!! It's impossible!!!}  
  
~~~~~~  
-You Ever Get That Sinking Feeling?  
  
She still couldn't take her eyes off of him.  
Why did she feel that there was a connection   
between the two of them? This warm feeling   
coming from inside her heart was filling her   
entire body with a sense of...joy?   
  
Who was he? What was he?  
And most importantly, why did his presence  
make her feel so safe and secure? She had   
only experienced anything remotely like this  
a long time ago, when she was being held in   
her father's arms as he rocked her to sleep.  
  
Yet she was feeling the same sensation now,  
that complete certainty of being sheltered   
and knowing that no harm would come.   
  
Sailor Saturn looked at him,   
and wondered...  
  
~~~~~~  
-You're Where?  
  
{This sucks.}  
  
Being stuck in a quasi-dimensional pocket   
courtesy of an ancient martial arts technique   
was not very high on Ishtar's list of things she  
enjoyed doing. For one thing, it virtually cut   
off her awareness of the outside world. The sword   
intensely disliked this muffling of her senses,   
which included even the bond that linked her  
with her owner. She could still feel it in   
the back of her mind like a warm ember, but  
was otherwise "left in the dark", so to speak.   
  
It didn't help matters any that gravity was   
nonexistant in here, objects tended to just   
retain stationary positions in what she  
assmed was the middle. Even her sense of   
time was distorted, although given the   
nature of the surroundings that might   
be considered a blessing in disguise.  
  
Because worst of all...  
It was so damn BORING!  
  
She couldn't even have the satisfaction of   
chewing Saotome out while she was stuck in   
here. He had learned early on to tune out   
her many complaints, it helped that this   
was one of the few situations that dampened   
her telepathy down to a level that even   
an infant could block her sendings.  
  
Not that Ranma's mental defenses were   
much better then an infant's, at least   
in her opinion. Honestly, how had that   
silly boy ever managed to survive so   
long without her?   
  
{That over-inflated ego of his is going to   
be the death of him yet. I didn't sense  
anything really dangerous nearby, but still...}  
  
The little tart of a goddess she'd dismissed  
as a threat almost immediately, it didn't take  
a genius to see what *that* one was looking for.  
  
If Ranma couldn't win her over with that weird   
enhanced sex appeal of his *then* she'd be surprised.   
That way he had with women was part of the reason why   
Ishtar tended to look down upon any female chasing her   
wielder, she knew that most of them just wanted him for   
his body. Even if it was a very nice body and even   
if it took an exceptional willpower to resist his   
semi-supernatural charm that was still no excuse!   
Ishtar loved Ranma for who he was on the inside, not   
for his looks (pleasing though they might be).  
So naturally she got more then a little peeved   
whenever one of those temptresses tried to get   
their claws on him.   
  
{Sigh.}  
  
There *had* been the beginnings of a slightly   
disturbing reading at the very edges of her   
senses right before she had been returned here.   
But it had been very far away and the contact   
was too brief for her to confirm it.   
  
{Well, it might have just been a fluke. And  
even if it does turn out to be dangerous   
I'm sure that he wouldn't be crazy enough   
to confront it without me there...I hope.}  
  
~~~~~~  
-You Dirty Rat!  
  
Sembei smiled nastily as   
he snapped his fingers.  
  
"Unhappy strike number one."  
  
Black tendrils of ectoplasm erupted forth  
from the face of Sailor Neptune's mirror   
and launched themselves at the surprised   
Senshi. Although their appearence was  
rather horrifying they were actually quite   
harmless. The imp was more concerned with  
causing chaos then actual injury, not to   
mention the fact that he lacked the power  
to give his creations much substance anyway.  
  
Having experienced this type of unexpected   
situation before, she naturally responded  
with all the calm and dignity one would   
expect from such a mature young lady.  
  
"AAAHHH!!!"  
  
Then again...maybe not.  
  
Everything seemed to happen at once after that.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Ristmoth, Governor Ryga's Palace  
  
The remaining Imperial troops crouched nervously behind   
whatever cover they could find. They knew it was only a   
matter of time until the rebels finally broke through.   
The armored doors might look thick and solid,   
but it wouldn't last long against any real firepower.   
This was going to be their last stand,   
none of them held any illusions as to what fate   
the rebels had in mind for them. The problem   
with serving a huge evil empire that trampled   
the masses into the dirt was that occasionally   
those masses clawed their way out and then   
pulled their oppressers down into the dirt   
and buried them in it.  
  
Suddenly it grew quiet.   
  
The constant background hum of energy   
discharges had ceased.  
  
Soldiers clutched their Power Halbards and Pulse Rifles closer.  
  
For a long moment eerie silence filled the building.  
No one dared to even breathe, afraid that it would   
shatter their temporary reprieve.  
  
Then the sound of many footsteps moving toward the  
palace broke the illusion. Snipers stationed at   
the windows started to open fire. Bodies could be   
heard dropping on the grounds outside by the dozen.  
  
The return fire from the attackers was overwhelming   
in its intensity. Snipers who survived the initial   
hailstorm of plasma bolts and laser beams became   
the recipients of mini-missiles and fusion grenades   
as rebel forces dislodged them from their tenaciously   
held positions.  
  
A dull red glow started to appear in the middle  
of the armored doors protecting the main entrance.   
The glowing area slowly grew from the size of   
a quarter to nearly twice the diameter of a   
normal man. The center went from dull bloodish  
red to bright cherry red, then to molten yellow   
orange, and finally to a blinding white.  
  
*BOOM*  
  
Charging through the wreckage came   
the screaming hordes.  
  
"For Freedom and Liberty! Death to the Empire!!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Yikes!  
  
{So it was lie after all! Damn him!}   
  
For some reason this betrayal hurt far more  
then it should have even though she had been  
expecting it all along. There wasn't much   
comfort to be found in being proven right all   
the time. For a few precious moments, she had   
secretly hoped that for once her instincts were   
wrong. But now it was too late for regrets,   
all that remained were the bitter ashes of   
lost hope and a burning desire for vengence.  
  
"Dead Scream."  
  
Sailor Pluto initiated her signature attack.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Double Yikes!!  
  
"Neptune!"  
  
It was the equivalent of lighting a   
match in a room full of dynamite.   
To say that Sailor Uranus was angry would   
be the understatement of the century.  
  
She was FURIOUS.   
  
{This guy is *HISTORY*!}  
  
"Space Sword Blaster!!"  
  
~~~~~~  
-You couldn't figure it out earlier?!  
  
She spotted the culprit   
just one moment too late.  
  
{Senbei? That little..!! So this is all MARA's fault!!}   
  
Urd rolled up her sleeves as she prepared  
to teach that no-good two-bit imp a lesson.  
  
"Lightning STRIK..Eek! Put me down!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Are You Confused Yet?  
  
He didn't know what was going on.  
One second it seemed that everything  
would be all right and then all hell   
had broken loose.  
  
That girl, Sailor Neptune, was struggling   
against what looked like dark jello.   
Ranma realized after a moment of confusion  
that it was ectoplasm, though he'd never   
seen it in that color before. The stuff   
was practically harmless, although it   
could be kinda disgusting for the unprepared.   
  
The other two took one look and turned back   
toward him with grim expressions on their faces.  
  
{Uh oh.}  
  
Ranma knew a setup when he saw one. It was obvious   
that someone had just framed him. Unfortunately  
there was no way for him to prove it right now,   
and simply proclaiming his innocence at this point   
was obviously not going to do any good.   
  
{So much for talking my way out of this.}  
  
The short tempered blonde confirmed   
his suspicions about the sword when   
she shouted out some kind of command   
phrase and her blade fired an energy   
bolt at him.  
  
Ranma couldn't make heads or tails   
of the "sphere" (for lack of a better   
term to describe it) that the other   
woman shot at him. It looked pretty   
nasty though, so it would probably  
be in his best interests to avoid it.  
That one called Sailor Pluto(?) looked   
really pissed off at him, and the   
unfairness of it all made the Knight   
want to scream with frustration.  
  
Then Ranma saw that he wasn't the only   
one in danger here. What was that goddess   
doing?! Didn't she realize that those  
projectiles were going to...  
  
{Oh screw it! I can apologize   
to her later.}  
  
With no time to lose The Cosmoknight   
grabbed the platinum blonde in one   
arm and slung her over his shoulder  
as he leaped out of the way of the   
incoming attack.  
  
An explosion rocked the ground   
where he'd been standing just a   
moment earlier. Oddly enough, it  
didn't seem to cause much damage   
to the street. Which either meant  
that those were very weak attacks  
(not likely) or they were similar   
in nature to phase weapons in that   
they were meant for *live* targets   
  
(Quite probable *shudder*).  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Phaseworld Center, Level 2-B: Spacetown  
  
"C'mon, We have to get going.   
Our contact is waiting in the  
Seel's Whails."  
  
"The what?"  
  
"Seel's Whails, it's a Spacer bar.   
Lotta freelancers and runners hang   
out there. Most of them are sympathetic   
to the Rebels so it's as safe a place   
as any for us."  
  
"If you say so."  
  
Privately Sun had her own doubts about that.  
This part of the city was only slightly rundown   
but she had the uncomfortable feeling that   
their passage was being watched by many pairs   
of eyes. Even though the streets were nearly   
empty of people there was a dangerous tension   
in the air. She rested a hand on her holdout   
blaster, its familar presence on her hip was   
reassuring as always.   
  
"Just keep a low profile and we should be   
able to avoid any trouble."  
  
The guide just hoped that none of the  
rough and tumble types around here   
noticed his client. Her exotic beauty  
had not escaped his notice, even in  
this interdimensional hub of the   
multiverse the woman stood out.   
  
{Yes, she's quite a looker.}  
  
He briefly found himself almost   
envying Saotome. But that only   
lasted until he saw that *look*   
in her eyes again. No siree,   
he couldn't wait to part company   
with her. The sooner, the better!  
  
~~~~~~~  
-You'll be sorry!  
  
Urd's shapely posterier wiggled   
in vain as she struggled to escape   
from her new position. Being carried   
over this barbarian's shoulder like   
the spoils of war was most embarrassing.  
  
"Do you have any idea how undignified this is?!"  
  
Beating her hands against the back   
of his armor proved equally fruitless.   
She might as well have been a sack full   
of groceries for all he seemed to care.  
  
{Oh no! My nails! And I just had them done too!}  
  
"Would you settle down please?   
I'm a little busy at the moment!"  
  
Ranma was having some trouble holding onto   
the scandalously clad woman while   
simultaneously jumping and dodging about   
as not one, but two infuriated opponents   
tried their damned best to make him very,   
very dead. Sadly, this was a situation   
that he was much too familar with, having  
experienced variations of the same theme  
many, many times over the past couple of   
years.   
  
Of course this *was* the first time   
that he found himself unable to fight   
back. These girls weren't really bad,  
they'd just been tricked into thinking  
he was the villain here. That observation   
still didn't help his situation any though.  
  
In the course of most events there   
will occasionally be *accidents*.   
  
When the event includes frantic evasive   
maneuvers coupled with a handicap that   
was both soft and curved in all the right   
places the odds of one of those *accidents*   
taking place tends to skyrocket into the   
stratosphere.  
  
*goose*  
  
"Eek! You pervert!"  
  
"Sorry about that!"  
  
"Release your hostage! And stop molesting her!"  
  
"Hostage?! You're the one who's trying   
to kill us! At least let me put her down   
first! And that was an accident!"  
  
"Shut up! Space Sword Blaster!"  
  
"Watch those hands buster!"  
  
{Why do these things always happen to me?!}  
  
~~~~~~  
-Are You Sure You Know What You're Doing?  
  
"Stop it! You're making a mistake!"  
  
"Pluto! Uranus! Wait! There's been some kind   
of misunderstanding!"  
  
When Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus are the   
sole voices of reason in a conflict, it's   
time to start worrying.  
  
The other Senshi prudently decided to   
take cover, as did Sasami and the now-awake  
and very confused Skuld.   
  
The little goddess felt a lot better now,   
but why was everyone fighting again?!  
  
Tuxedo Kamen produced a rose in one hand   
and watched the battle carefully, waiting for an opening.  
  
~~~~~~  
-High Orbit Over Ristmoth  
  
"Is everyone alright?"  
  
Assorted affirmative replies came in  
as the bridge's emergency lights flickered   
wildly. There were many cuts and bruises   
but amazingly no real serious injuries.   
It appeared that body armor and natural   
toughness had saved the day once again.  
  
"I need a status report. Sammy, weapons and   
navigation. Tania, check the communications   
broadcast array and all decks and turrets.   
Ana, can we still cloak? And someone contact   
the engine room, I'm sure Silvia is pretty   
pissed about all the abuse her "wee lil' bairns"   
have taken."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
The crew went about their tasks quickly and   
efficently despite their recent near brush   
with oblivion. It was simply part of the job.  
  
"She can still cloak, but the grid is looking   
pretty unstable. I wouldn't recommend it   
short of a complete emergency. Our active stealth   
systems are pretty overloaded at the moment,   
we need time to let them cool down."  
  
"Noted."  
  
"We're at 85% of optimal power, capacitors  
for the main guns are off-line and our shields  
are so thin that you could throw a spitball  
through them. Ship's navigation seems to have  
survived quite nicely though, some luck seems   
to be finally going our way. Missiles and   
torpedos are available but the Reaper cannon  
is off-line. Secondary batteries are still   
functional, but it looks like they'll be only  
at half strength for little bit. Starboard turrets   
are down, looks like numbers 3 and 6 are a total loss."   
  
"Medical Teams have been dispatched. Yes Brandy,  
they're coming so please stop yelling at me! Commander,  
the crew manning turret 6 reports that they're fine,  
they just got tossed around a bit."  
  
"Casualties?"  
  
"Well...just a moment. Brandy! I told you they're   
on their way! Stop screaming already! What was that   
again?"  
  
"Casualties?"  
  
"Coming in now. Whoa, looks like Dr. Lotion   
is really going to be earning her pay this time!"  
  
"Lieutenant."  
  
"Forty eight crew members have reported injuries so far.   
Twelve of them are going to require hospitalization. Only  
two really serious cases though, Amanda and Ikeya."  
  
"I'm sure the doctor will be thrilled."  
  
Now the Commander hesitated, this was always   
the worst part about being in command.  
  
"...fatalities?"  
  
There was a brief pause as Tania checked the  
incoming reports.   
  
"Looks like we cheated the piper again, Ma'am."  
  
Ayla let out a breath she didn't   
even know she had been holding.  
  
{Thank the Goddess.}  
  
"Alright people, don't relax just yet.   
We still have a job to do."  
  
"Aye aye, Commander."  
  
~~~~~  
-You Were Warned About Days Like This.   
  
"Dead Scream."  
  
Ranma found himself forced to alter   
directions in midair once again, that   
Sailor Pluto seemed to have an uncanny   
knack for being able to correctly predict   
where he was going to touchdown.  
  
"World Shaking!"  
  
So far he'd been able to avoid coming   
into contact with whatever it was they   
was shooting at him, but it hadn't been   
easy. No sooner did he manage to dodge   
one then the other would launch her attack.   
The two of them were working as a team,   
keeping him off balance so that he couldn't   
retake the initiative.  
  
{This is getting me nowhere! I need a plan,  
but...aw no, please don't tell me I'm grabbing  
what I think I'm grabbing!}  
  
"You better not let me go because the   
moment you do I'm gonna KILL you, Pervert!"  
  
{Oh joy.}  
  
Correction, first he needed to deposit his unwilling   
passenger somewhere safe. *Then* he could worry about  
what to do with latest additions to the long line of   
people trying to kill him.  
  
Well, it could have been worse.   
  
They could have been trying to marry him instead.  
  
~~~~~~  
-You're Despicable!  
  
{This is GREAT! Explosions, a beautiful   
woman in peril, the Sailor Senshi, and   
lots of gratuitious violence! Who could   
ask for more?}  
  
The News Anchor and his trusty sidekick were   
happier then pigs in manure. Even if they   
didn't know what was really going on.  
  
On a related note, the camera man *was* able  
to get an indecent shot of Urd's panties   
when she was hoisted over the Knight's shoulder.  
  
This resulted in several million slaps being   
delivered to viewers nationwide by angry wives   
and girlfriends.  
  
Plus one electrocution.  
  
Keiichi Morisato could only   
cover his eyes and groan.   
  
~~~~~~  
-High Ristmoth Orbit, Free World's Flagship   
  
"Admiral Iblis, the Ristmoth system has been   
secured. All Imperial ships have been destroyed   
or have retreated from the sector. We've won, sir!"  
  
"Don't get your hopes up just yet, Captain.  
We still have to capture this planet first."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Ensign, status of the troop landings."  
  
"Proceeding as planned, Admiral. The convoy's   
escorts suffered heavy losses though, we lost  
nine corvettes and six other ships are out of   
commission."  
  
"Did we lose any of the transports?"  
  
"No sir. It appears that they were   
able to stop all of the missiles."  
  
"Good, we can't afford to lose any of them  
before they hit the planet. Our resources   
are stretched thin enough as it is, High   
Command is taking an awfully big risk here."  
  
"Sir, The first wave of transports will be   
landing in the capital city in twenty minutes."  
  
~~~~~~  
-You Can't Be Serious?!  
  
An opening finally presented itself.  
  
Sailor Pluto was forced to abandon her   
next shot when it became clear that the   
Knight had somehow managed to maneuver   
himself directly between his two opponents.  
This made it impossible for either one of   
them to attack him without risking the   
chance of hitting the other.  
  
The advantage only lasted a moment as   
they both quickly moved to get out of   
each other's way. But a moment was all   
he really needed.  
  
"Oof! Hey! You Jerk!!"  
  
It was not exactly the most   
gentle of landings, Ranma was  
in a hurry after all. At least  
she was on the ground and now  
safely out of the line of fire  
(he hoped).  
  
Urd rubbed her tender bottom with  
one hand while shaking her fist at   
him with the other.  
  
"Ohh, you're gonna get it!"  
  
Now that he finally had full mobility   
again it was time to think up a plan  
of action.  
  
That took him about ten seconds,   
which was nine more then he normally needed.  
  
{Okay, there's no way to calm them down.   
But I *can* make them even madder then they already   
are. Let's hope that certain universal principles  
hold true, otherwise they're probably going to be  
picking me off the street with ink blotters.}  
  
Once he started on this path, there would   
be no going back. Did he really want to do this?  
  
"Die, Monster!"  
  
{I guess that answers my question.}  
  
Ranma took a deep breath (don't ask me how)  
and unleashed his most devastating special  
attack, one so horrifying that it was   
only passed down through the Saotome   
line and even then, only from father to son.  
  
"You stupid uncute tomboy!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-O_O'  
  
"He calls *that* a plan?!"  
  
"I...believe so."  
  
"Zora, I think your Ranma lost a   
few marbles when he came back to   
his home dimension."  
  
"Always a method to the madness, there is."  
  
"In other words, he's nuts."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-You're In For It Now!  
  
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!!"  
  
She might dress like a man in her civilian  
form, but Haruka still had her feminine   
pride. Yet even though Uranus was seething   
with rage she was still in control of herself.   
  
Something more was needed to tip the scales.  
  
"You're also a flatchested maniac."  
  
That did the trick.   
  
Of all the things he could have picked,   
Ranma had to choose the one which she   
was most sensitive about.   
  
*VOOSH*  
  
A gigantic red-hot battle aura sprang up   
around Sailor Uranus. Nobody insulted her   
chest!! Nobody!!!   
  
The sun hid its face behind clouds of   
darkest black. Lightning danced across   
the heavens and vermin within a two mile   
radius suddenly found that they had   
pressing business elsewhere.   
  
{Uh oh. I may have overdone it a little bit.}  
  
"CRUSH!! KILL!! MAIM!! DESTROY!!!"  
  
She came in swinging hard and fast.   
Any Amazon warleader would have been   
proud to call her one of their own   
at that moment.  
  
As soon as he dodged the first thrust to   
his head the Knight was forced to twist back  
and to the side as the lunge turned into a   
slash aimed for his abdomen. Her second stab   
came in unexpectedly low in an attempt to sever   
one of his hamstrings while he was in such an   
awkward position, but it was thwarted by his   
armor. The attack did leave a deep cut in the   
ultra-hard material though, and that fact   
did not go unnoticed by anyone present.   
  
Recovering quickly, Ranma was able to  
avoid Uranus's next attacks by shifting   
just enough to the left and right to prevent  
the blade from skewering him in the vitals.  
  
It helped that her swings were beginning to   
get wilder and more frenzied with every miss.  
He continued to give ground freely to her   
furious assault, always making sure to stay  
close enough that the other Senshi after his   
hide couldn't use that strange attack of hers  
without hitting them both.   
  
'If the enemy's forces are united, seperate them.'  
  
'All warfare is based on deception.'  
  
'If your opponent is of base temper, seek   
to irritate them.'  
  
The wisdom of Sun Tzu still held true thousands   
of years later. But his entire plan depended on   
the last two being correct as well. Timing would   
be everything. He would have only one shot,   
they wouldn't fall for this a second time.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Do You See What I See?  
  
Uranus's readings were nearly off  
the scale. She was actually *glowing*  
from all the battle energy radiating   
forth from her body!   
  
Mercury used one hand to push her   
jaw back up into position.   
  
The blue haired Senshi didn't even try to   
get a reading from Pluto. She knew it   
would only give her nightmares in the   
days to come.  
  
The Time Guardian looked really angry.  
That was *scary*, especially since this was   
the strongest emotional reaction that Setsuna   
had ever shown!  
  
{Is he insane? They're going to kill him!}  
  
Once again she tried to scan the stranger,  
although his constant movement made that   
quite difficult.   
  
{Strange...the jamming seems to have stopped.}  
  
Not that it did much good. Whatever that armor   
was composed of, it wasn't anything that her   
computer could recognize. It also seemed to   
block any attempts to scan deeper, infrared   
and ultraviolet sensor beams were absorbed   
into it without a trace.  
  
{This can't be right!}  
  
How could his power level be at practically zero?!  
Even youma and daomons had a level of energy that   
could be detected.   
  
Yet his reading was as cold as ice...  
  
{Ice?}  
  
Something about that last observation sent alarms   
ringing in her head. Why was this person trying so   
hard to intentionally keep Uranus in a burning rage   
while at the same time maintaining a personal power   
level that was almost on par with a corpse?  
  
{Hot and cold...what's the connection?}  
  
*beep**beep*  
  
Then she saw it. As the Outer jumped into   
the air with her Space Sword held high,  
the Knight's right arm suddenly became  
a black void as every last bit of heat   
energy was expelled from it.  
  
"Uranus, look out! It's a trap!!"  
  
Too late.   
  
{Gotcha.}  
  
Ranma's fist rocketed out into an uppercut.  
  
"Hiryu Shoten Ha!"  
  
~~~~~~  
-(O_O)  
  
"I don't believe it. It actually worked?!"  
  
"Looks like it."  
  
"Told you so."  
  
"Okay, so now how is he going to deal with Pluto?"  
  
An uncomfortable silence descended.   
  
Crickets decided to chirp in the background  
and were promptly devoured by several dozen  
woodland spirits who were in urgent need of   
some munchies.  
  
"I thought so."  
  
Shadow sighed wearily, that was the trouble with  
these heroes. They always forgot about those little   
details until it was too late.  
  
~~~~~  
-So Tell Me, What You Plan To Do About The Rest Of Them?  
  
Ranma had been aiming for just the edge of Sailor   
Uranus's battle aura, so he only knicked it a little   
with the "Soul of Ice" technique. Of course, considering   
how much heat she was putting out he had to pull his   
punch quite a bit short in order to keep the size of the   
resulting tornado down.  
  
*WHOOSH*  
  
The twister was only a couple dozen meters high.   
But it was strong enough to pick up the unfortunate   
Outer and send her hurtling skyward like a helpless  
stray leaf. Through long practice and experience Ranma   
had learned how to direct where the Rising Dragon   
Ascension's victim(s) would land. Normally he used  
it to make sure his enemies wound up in the worst   
possible spots. This time he was trying to make   
sure that this woman didn't break anything when she   
hit the ground, even magic could only go so far when  
it came to preventing damage from falling several stories.  
  
How fortunate then that there was a truck   
lying on its side nearby, its cargo of   
leafy vegetables spilled out nice and high   
next to it. Apparently the driver had   
abandoned it sometime during the first battle,   
since the once fresh produce had grown rank in   
the daytime heat. It would certainly cushion a   
landing, but the smell...  
  
{Oh well, beggers can't be choosy.}  
  
It was good plan, all things considered.  
  
Unfortunately there was still a hostile   
factor that Ranma failed to take into   
account.  
  
"Heh, time for Unhappy Strike Two!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Well, You Tried.  
  
Neptune, still struggling to get the  
slimy gunk off of her, just happened  
to pick that moment to look up.  
  
Upon seeing her beloved about to come   
crashing down into the street Neptune   
did the first thing that came to mind.  
  
She jumped and tried to catch her.  
  
But a sudden stray updraft threw her timing off.  
  
*Kabonk*  
  
Instead of catching Sailor Uranus,   
they collided in midair.  
  
The two of them quickly discovered that ectoplasm   
is *very* sticky, right before they crashed into  
a small hill of stinky rotten greens.  
  
Their screams of outrage could   
be heard for miles around.  
  
~~~~~  
-You Can't Win Them All  
  
Right after Sembei finished his latest act   
of mischief an annoying tapping sensation   
started on his back.  
  
Tap. Tap. Tap.  
  
It just wouldn't stop, so the little imp  
turned around. His eyes were met by a   
pair of feet.  
  
{Uh oh...}  
  
He looked up.   
  
"Eep."  
  
Skuld looked down at him with a scary expression  
on her face. Her slightly dented Bug Masher   
Mark II balanced on one shoulder.  
  
Sembei pulled out a pair of old fashioned   
spectacles and put them on.  
  
"You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?"  
  
The young goddess's rebuttal was   
simple but quite elequent.  
  
*WHAM*  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Do You Have Any Last Words?  
  
Ranma winced behind the safety of his armor,  
so much for his plan going the way it was   
supposed to. He had not been expecting the   
third girl to get in the way.   
  
That *had* to have hurt.  
  
But on the bright side, at least   
they wouldn't be after him for awhile.  
However he wouldn't want to be around when   
those two finally freed themselves from   
that gooey little mess they were in.  
  
Two down with only one left to worry about.   
Speaking of which...  
  
{Where'd she go?!}  
  
Somewhere in all the excitement he'd   
lost track of where Sailor Pluto was.  
He looked frantically around,   
but couldn't spot her anywhere.   
  
Ranma didn't even try to kid himself into  
believing that she had actually left. He   
could still feel her presence, a pressure   
that weighed down heavily on the air itself.   
  
Seeking a better position from which to defend himself,   
the Knight went from the street to the rooftops.   
From up there he'd have more manuvering room and a   
better view of the surroundings.  
  
Still he found no sign of her.  
  
{I think I'm in trouble.}  
  
~~~~~~~  
-You think?  
  
Mara froze where she was as the armored   
figure turned to look in her direction.   
But her barrier held and he looked   
straight through her position without   
even seeing her.  
  
She let out a small sigh of relief.   
That had been too close for comfort.  
  
{It wouldn't do to spoil the game   
this early. I've got plans for you.}  
  
A soft *bamf* behind her along with a hint   
of sulfer alerted Mara to the return of her   
servant.  
  
"You've done well Sembei. Remind me   
to reward you when we get back."  
  
"...Which way did he go George? Which way did he go?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
She turned around, only to stare at the   
little imp in disbelief.  
  
"What in the Nine Hells happened to you?!!"  
  
Sembei was sporting the biggest, meanest   
looking bump on his head that she'd ever seen.  
It was obvious that her minion wasn't running  
with all of the lights on.  
  
"I'm only twee and a half yea's old...bwebubwubweble..."  
  
A large sweatdrop appeared on the back of the   
demoness's head. Perhaps it was time to leave   
before someone put two and two together.   
  
~~~~~~  
-You Have Issues, Don't You?  
  
Sailor Pluto has not survived this   
long by underestimating her opponents.  
It had quickly become clear that their   
regular special attacks weren't up   
to the task, stronger measures were   
needed in order to destroy this threat.   
  
With her Time Staff in hand Setsuna   
started to gather the energy she   
needed to invoke the power of the   
Garnet Orb.   
  
Each of the Outer Senshi possessed a   
unique talisman of power. Uranus had the   
Space Sword, Neptune's was the Aqua Mirror,   
and Saturn was the owner of the deadly   
Silence Glaive. But Pluto's artifact   
was perhaps the most unusual of them all.  
  
Unlike the other talismans, the Orb   
was a sentient artifact and served   
as one of the Guardians of the Timegate.  
But most importantly, by channeling   
potential psychic energy through it  
Pluto could amplify her abilities  
to a new level, allowing her access   
to the most dangerous Senshi attacks.  
  
One of those was the forbidden   
"Time Protector", which halted   
the passage of time itself. But  
that wasn't the only one available  
to her. In a few seconds she would  
be ready to unleash an attack that   
made her Dead Scream look like one of   
Sailor Chibi-Usa's Pink Sugar Hearts.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-o_o'  
  
"Oh no, please tell me she's   
not using *that* one."  
  
Shadow and the Guardian exchanged worried looks.   
That attack had killed them each once before, fortunately  
they had gotten better afterwards. Death wasn't much fun,  
not unless you were lucky enough to get the cool chick   
with the ankh and a sense of humor.  
  
"What's the attack roll?"  
  
"Give me a sec, Bard."  
  
Rowan swore softly when he got the result.  
  
"Damn. This is not good."  
  
"C'mon , how bad can it be?"  
  
"A natural twenty ."  
  
This time the curses came from several other throats as well.  
Everyone present knew what this meant. A critical strike,  
practically impossible to dodge.   
  
"Well, it's only double damage....he can survive that."  
  
The Bard tried to look on the bright side.  
  
"Try damage x12 instead."  
  
Rowan was quick to shoot his hopes down.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Evil magical curse #34, victim takes triple damage from Rune Weapons.  
Since she's focusing it through the Garnet Orb, it still counts.  
Plus it's a surprise attack, so she automatically gets another  
bonus modifier of x2 to her damage roll."  
  
"Oh hell."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Did You Have To Do That?  
  
It was time.  
  
A crimson flare of raw temporal energy  
screamed forth from the head of the Time Staff.  
It took all of Pluto's concentration to keep from  
being caught in the backlash as the tidal wave  
of raw destruction spewed out. The Senshi of   
Time was in her element at that moment as she  
fought to master the wild power she had unleashed.  
  
"Chrono Trigger!"   
  
Sailor Pluto was also very good shot.   
After all, she'd had more then enough   
time to practice while awaiting the   
rebirth of the other Senshi.   
  
Ranma never had a chance. Even as he turned to  
face the threat he knew it was already too late.   
  
He only had a moment for one last meaningless thought.  
  
{I survived the Mechanoids, the Four Horsemen,   
the Vampire Kingdoms, the Splugorth, and even   
the Transgalactic Empire only to end up as the   
victim of a beautiful woman in a fuku? Damn it,  
looks like I owe Drizzt that round of drinks after all.}  
  
And then there wasn't any time left even for that.   
  
*KABOOM*   
  
-To be continued...  



	22. Chapter 3j: The Season of Light...

It's funny the things that come to mind  
when you think you're dying...  
  
~~Flashback~~  
  
-A while back  
  
The need to unburden himself had been   
growing for a long time, yet he'd always   
managed to resist the temptation.  
  
But Ranma couldn't deny it any longer.   
  
He needed help.   
  
The fight at Atlantis had shown him  
just how careless he was getting.   
They would never have been able to   
capture him had he been paying proper   
attention to his surroundings.   
  
Next time he might not be so lucky.  
  
And of all his friends, Erin alone might   
be able to understand this emptiness   
inside of him that he could feel   
growing larger with each passing day.  
  
There was also the matter of Ishtar.  
  
What the hell was he going to do with a Rune Weapon anyway?  
  
~~End Flashback~~~  
  
"Irony is the Axis of the Universe."  
-AAnn proverb  
  
And now...   
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Private Bet #10: Chapter III   
by Shade  
  
Disclaimer: Yo ho, Yo ho, A Disclaimer's life for  
me! Argh maties, we be using these characters  
that be belonging to other people cause we're too   
lazy to come up with our own!  
  
"We can proceed about our business."   
  
You can go about your business.   
  
"Move along."  
  
Move along, move along.  
  
~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3j: The Season of Light...  
~~~~~~~  
  
-Ever Have One Of Those Days?  
  
"This is Go Takarada of Action 5 news,   
coming to you live from Juuban's   
commercial district where the   
Sailor Senshi have just blown   
up an entire city block!!"  
  
Upon seeing his chances for fame and fortune go   
up with a bang, Takarada was naturally more then   
a little upset. His dreams of an early retirement  
had vanished when that Sailor Senshi had blasted   
his story to kingdom come.  
  
"Only moments ago a battle was being fought between   
the Sailor Senshi and a mysterious armored figure   
who had saved them earlier from a horde of evil  
youma. But the reason behind their sudden attack   
against their rescuer is a mystery, could it be  
that they're afraid of a little competition?!"  
  
{Goddamnit! So much for my "Knight Hawk" exclusive!!  
Maybe I can play up the fact that the Senshi are   
responsible for all of this destruction. That's sure  
to make at least the six o'clock news.}  
  
Nothing could have survived that blast.  
And since he was a pragmatic sort...  
  
"Or have these so called Defenders of Justice finally   
turned to the Dark side? We will continue to   
cover this alarming situation of "Magical Girls Gone Rogue"  
with further updates to follow!"  
  
Scruples and Takarada were like oil and water.  
  
And his cliches *sucked*.  
  
Meanwhile his assistant continued to keep the camera  
rolling, not noticing that a stray bit of shrapnel had   
killed the transmitter beaming the signal to the station.   
  
Perhaps it was better that way.  
  
~~~~  
  
The Inners could only stare as the settling   
cloud of dust and rubble started to reveal a scene   
of total devastation. While ground zero was still   
shrouded from view, what they could see wasn't very   
encouraging. Pluto's attack had left nothing but   
rubble in its wake, every structure in the blast   
zone had been completely totaled.  
  
Apparently the Senshi of Time had never   
heard of a little thing called "overkill".   
  
Shock set in.  
  
It started as a pulling emptiness in the pit of the   
stomach followed by a glazed over look in the eyes  
of those who had seen their hopes raised and then   
cruelly shattered. There were no tears, not yet at   
any rate. It had all happened too fast, their minds   
just couldn't accept what they had just seen.  
  
So for now, a blessed numbness settled over them.  
  
~~~~  
  
It was times like this that made Urd wish   
she was allowed to curse. Even at her most   
vindictive she had only wanted to teach that  
impudent jerk a lesson, not kill him.  
  
"Mara's going to pay for this."  
  
What a waste. Come to think of it,  
that guy hadn't been really that bad.   
He probably hadn't meant to grab her like   
that and he *had* been trying to protect her  
(no matter how misguided that protection might have been).  
  
"I think there's someone still alive in there!"  
  
An excited cry from her left derailed the goddess's train of thought.  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
Urd stared at her younger sister and the strange device   
that she'd produced out of (their) Father only knew where.   
  
"Skuld..when did you-? How-? He's still-? What?!"  
  
"It's pretty faint, but I'm definitely getting a   
life force reading. There wasn't anyone else   
there when it blew, so it's gotta be him!"  
  
"Before you start celebrating sis, you might want  
to think about *them*."  
  
Urd gestured toward an exhausted looking Pluto   
and the struggling Uranus and Neptune.  
  
"Oh...right."  
  
Her cheery expression dampened slightly upon being  
reminded about the precariousness of the present situation.  
  
But that was easily fixed!  
  
"Skuld, put the bomb away."  
  
Urd didn't even have to bother looking,   
she knew by now how her younger sister's   
line of thinking worked.  
  
"Spoilsport."  
  
Reluctantly the petite little goddess removed her finger   
from the detonater switch and tucked it back into one of  
her many subspace pockets.  
  
"Relax, just leave everything to your big sister."  
  
Skuld's complexion turned blue upon hearing that dreaded statement.  
  
"Now I'm worried."  
  
~~~~  
-From the Journals of Erin Tarn  
  
"What is the true measure of a hero?"  
  
I have asked that question many times over the years.   
There have many responses, yet not one of them   
is ever alike. Each individual holds themselves   
to a different standard in their heart.   
  
But Saotome's answer managed to surprise me.  
  
For several minutes after I asked him that   
Ranma remained quiet, staring into his cup of tea   
as if it was showing him something from the past   
that he could not forget.   
  
I shivered when he met my gaze again.   
To this day I wish that I had left well   
enough alone. There was such pain in his   
eyes, more then any person should ever be  
forced to bear. For a moment I was nearly   
overwhelmed by this glimpse into his very being.  
  
So many shadows. I could not even begin to   
imagine what had done this to him. It was   
the first time he'd ever dropped his guard  
so completely in front of me. I guess that   
this was the first time it finally sunk in   
that Ranma was just as human as the next   
person. He just hides it better then the   
rest of us.   
  
Even as the realization hit I could see   
the barriers falling in place once more.  
The window into his soul vanished as if   
it had never existed in the first place.  
But the new awareness that I had of him   
did not leave me, things had changed   
between us. We were still friends, but  
now there was distance between us that  
could never be bridged.   
  
Then he gave me a small sad smile.  
  
"A real hero is someone that doesn't screw up."  
  
"What do you mean?", I asked him. His answer  
didn't make any sense to me at the time. Surely   
he didn't think that such perfection was possible,   
and I told him so.  
  
"We all make mistakes, that's part of being human."  
  
But it didn't seem to help. The somber expression on   
his face didn't waver, he was dead serious.  
  
"A true hero can't afford to be wrong. Not once. Not ever."  
  
So that was it.   
  
In a softer tone I asked him,   
  
"What happened to you, Ranma? It's been two years  
since I last saw you. But it seems that more time   
has passed for you then me."  
  
I didn't expect him to answer me, but he did.  
  
"I'm tired Erin. I'm just so tired..."  
  
He turned to look out the balcony, his   
friend's home was cozy but by no means  
small. It afforded an excellent view  
of the surroundings and the setting sun.  
  
The sunsets of Lazlo are one of the most   
beautiful sights one can see on Rifts Earth.   
Part of that attraction is being able to   
actually relax and enjoy it, secure in the   
knowledge that the City of Learning is one  
of the safest places in North America.  
  
But Ranma had no eyes for the glorious natural   
spectacle taking place outside. His thoughts   
were turned toward the past.  
  
"I've seen too much evil....  
Too much cruelty...  
Too much hate...  
Too much pain..."  
  
His voice was empty, and his  
eyes had a haunted look in them.  
  
"And always Death. It follows me like a shadow,   
never ever going away. So many friends,   
people I cared about, have died because of me.   
No matter what I do, they die....and all I can   
do is find the bastards responsible and make them  
pay. But it's never enough. It won't bring them back."  
  
There was nothing I could say,   
simple words of comfort couldn't   
help him. It just kept spilling out of him,  
like a dam that had been finally breached  
and would not stop till it had run its course.  
  
"I hate having to kill. But I've become   
damned good at it. Too damned good.   
And the worst part of it is that I'm   
beginning to not give a damn anymore."  
  
The tears in his eyes refused to fall.   
But I could see his body quivering like a bow   
that had been drawn too tight from the pain  
he sought to keep in control.  
  
"Ranma..."  
  
I was sure that he was being too hard on himself.  
The Ranma I knew wasn't a killer, the only time  
he ever took a life was when defending himself   
or others. He took no pleasure in it, he simply   
did what had to be done.  
  
"I've done a lot of stuff over the years that I'm not   
proud of, Erin. All of it was in the cause of what's   
supposed to be right, battling evil and injustice.  
But the dividing line between the two has become so   
blurred now that there are times when I can't help   
but wonder who's side I'm really on.  
  
"Wha..what?!"  
  
I couldn't believe my ears, but I could   
see that he wasn't lying. The pain was   
being replaced by an empty expression   
in his eyes, and it scared me.   
  
Ranma had always been so strong, the person  
that could be counted on when things got bad.   
But now he was here before me, on the verge   
of burning out both emotionally and mentally.  
  
Never had I felt so helpless, it hurt so badly   
to see him like this.  
  
"I don't know who I am anymore and I'm starting   
to think that I never did. There's so much darkness   
out there and the best we can ever hope to do is   
check it in a bloody stalemate. I can't go on like this,   
there has to be another way!!"  
  
"You can't save everyone."  
  
"I know. I thought I could make a difference,  
but nothing's really changed. Sometimes...  
I feel like just giving up."  
  
When I heard that I just couldn't help myself.  
I'd never been so angry, and I slapped him. Hard.   
  
*CRACK*  
  
I regretted my action almost immediately.   
Ranma's face was *much* harder then my hand.  
It felt like I had struck a steel wall.  
  
"Erin!?"  
  
The dark emptiness clouding his eyes vanished   
and was replaced by a shocked and hurt expression  
directed at me.   
  
Of course, I wasn't exactly keep much track  
of all the details going on as I was rather   
upset at the time.  
  
"Now you listen to me, Ranma Saotome! Don't you   
DARE take that defeatist attitude with me!!   
Just because you're not perfect doesn't make   
you a failure! You say that you haven't made a   
difference. Well, take a good look at me Ranma!  
YOU saved my life!! And not just once, but several times.  
Hell, you helped save this entire planet from total   
annihilation at *least* twice!! I'll be damned before   
I repay that debt by letting you snivel in fear like some coward!!"  
  
He went from shocked and confused to just plain angry.   
I have admit I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking   
at the time. When I look back now all I can do is shake   
my head in disbelief. Ranma can have that effect on a person.  
  
"-What- -did- -you- -call- -me-?"  
  
The glare he shot at me was hot enough to vaporize a SAMAS.  
For once I was glad about that little quirk Saotome had   
about not hitting women. I suspect that if anyone else had   
said that to his face they would have had trouble trying to  
pull their ankles out of their tonsils. I'm not saying  
Ranma is a violent person, for a person his age he   
possesses a remarkable sense of self control. But  
he has very little tolerence for fools or troublemakers.  
Anyone stupid enough to challenge his sense of honor falls   
into *both* catagories.  
  
So what did that make me at that moment?   
  
Hmmm...Better not explore that line of thought any further.  
  
"A coward. If you're not one, prove me wrong!! Damn it,   
after everything that's happened you just want to throw   
it all away?! I thought I knew you better then that!!   
You may not care about what happens to you anymore   
but your friends care!! *I* care!!"  
  
There. I had said it. Now all I could do was brace   
myself for the coming explosion. He had every right   
to be angry. But I wouldn't back down. I believed   
every word I had shouted at him. The universe would   
be a much darker place without Saotome in it.  
  
"...I..."  
  
His mouth stayed open but nothing more came out.  
  
A mask seemed to slide over his emotions  
and I could no longer tell what he was thinking.   
Somewhere along the line Ranma'd finally   
managed to pick up an effective poker face.   
  
It was a little *too* damn effective if you asked me.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
Finally he seemed to snap out of his little trance.  
  
"Erin..."  
  
Despite myself, I flinched. His voice sounded so soft,   
and it was filled with an emotion I had never heard in   
it before. I was truly afraid at that moment, convinced  
that I'd failed and he was going to let himself be beaten  
by the ghosts of his past.  
  
"Thank you. I needed that."  
  
All I could do was blink.  
  
I couldn't even manage a decent "Huh?",  
you could have knocked me over with a  
feather at that moment.  
  
Then he smiled. A actual honest to goodness,  
heart stopping, "Hoo boy! I *REALLY* wish   
I was forty years younger!!" smile.   
  
(*Ahem*, sorry about that. But it's just not fair!  
Why couldn't he have been available when *I* was   
looking for a man?! -Erin)  
  
I smiled back as the Ranma that   
I remembered finally returned.  
  
"So why don't you sit down and tell me what   
you've been doing since we last met."  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"Those are the best kind."  
  
I started to brew up another pot of tea.  
If he said it was going to be long that   
meant it could take four or five days  
before he finished.   
  
Heh, but at least his stories were never boring!  
  
~~~~~~~  
-All Present and Accounted For  
  
{Let's see...that's 24 charged Energy-clips,   
one slightly used Mantle of Displacement,  
53 Class IV type fusion blocks, 247 socks  
that don't match, duct tape, 6 modified Kittani   
Sentry Turrets, that old HI-80 laser rifle he   
insists on dragging around with him, couple of   
spare parts for who knows what, one really beaten  
up copy of the Book of Five Rings, more duct tape,   
and....}  
  
Ishtar was busy taking inventory of the other   
items that resided with her in the dimensional   
pocket. There wasn't much else to do here and  
Ranma was always putting stuff here and forgetting   
about it. So it was left to his partner to keep  
track of what he collected. It was not a job  
of the faint of heart, there was stuff scattered   
about as far as the human eye could see.  
  
{Geez, where the heck does he find all of this junk?!}  
  
A pair of white silk panties drifted past her position.  
  
{And what the hell is *THAT* doing in HERE?!  
  
It was followed by several other female undergarments   
ranging from "Skimpy as Hell" to "Guaranteed Nosebleed".  
Ishtar could only recognize about half of them as having  
belonged to certain "acquaintances" of her partner.  
  
(He is *so* dead when I get out.}  
  
That was when the explosion hit.  
  
*KABOOM*  
  
The dimensional pocket shuddered violently  
as its connection to the real world was   
briefly thrown out of alignment by the  
raging maelstrom.  
  
[OOOF!!!]  
  
The startled weapon was hurled into a pile of old scrolls   
and assorted knicknacks. She bounced off of   
a very patched up suit of light body armor   
and went into a uncontrolled spin.  
  
[AAAAAHHH!!! WHAT'S GO-GO-GOING-NG-NG O-O-ON-N?!!!]  
  
Thinking quickly, Ishtar erected a TK(TeleKinetic)   
field around herself. It brought her to an immediate  
halt. Fortunately whiplash wasn't something she   
had to worry about, so the sudden stop was annoying   
instead of painful. Once the sword's position was   
stabilized within the protection of the field,  
Ishtar's attention turned toward the cause  
all of this. Somehow she just knew that her   
partner was the cause of all of this.   
  
[HEY! What's going on out there?!]  
  
There was no response.  
  
[Ranma?]  
  
Now she was beginning to get worried.  
  
[Ranma?!]  
  
Something was wrong. She should have  
gotten some kind of response, even  
if it was only a mental brush off.  
  
The only reasons why she wouldn't be able to   
contact him would be if he was unconscious,   
inside a psionically shielded area, or...  
  
...or...  
  
...if he was dying.  
  
[Ranma!! I swear that if this turns out to   
be a false alarm and all my worrying is  
for nothing I'm gonna KILL YOU!!!]  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Ouch  
  
{.....}  
  
Darkness. Void. Pain.  
  
{!}  
  
Sensations that had become all too familar to him  
since he'd fallen through the looking glass.  
  
{?}  
  
Especially the last one. Physical pain had always   
been a part of his life ever since he could first   
remember. Ten years of training had taught him the   
hurts that could be inflicted by fist, feet, and words.   
Rismoth had introduced him to the agonies of weapons  
both ancient and modern as well as the horrors of magic  
and psionics. But it wasn't until after his Transformation   
within the heart of the Cosmic Forge that he learned   
the true meaning of Pain.  
  
{!?}  
  
The disorientation he felt started to fade as  
his mind eased its way back into consciousness.  
It wasn't a very pleasant trip.   
  
{...Did anyone get the registry number of that Star Destroyer?}(1)  
  
Memories of the fight started to return.   
It was accompanied by a splitting headache,   
his brain felt like was going to explode into   
a billion bloody pieces any second. This was  
on par with his first(and only) hangover in the   
"Experiences I don't think I'm gonna survive;   
Just let me die already!!!" department.  
  
{Damn it, I can't believe I got my   
ass kicked by a girl....*again*.}  
  
He cursed softly, then groaned as the effort   
made his head hurt even more.   
  
What kind of an attack was that anyway?!  
And more importantly...could he learn how to do it?  
  
{Well, I'm not going to be doing much of   
anything if I don't get up soon.}  
  
Ranma's first attempt to rise proved futile.   
Something heavy was pinning him down and   
for some reason he couldn't lift it off.   
  
{Huh?!}  
  
He should have been able to move whatever   
was lying on top of him, it wasn't *that* heavy.  
  
{What's the matter with me?! I feel so weak...exhausted....}  
  
He couldn't see a thing either, and it was   
then that he realized his tatto's power had   
expired. But that didn't make any sense,   
like all experienced martial artists his body  
kept precise track of time's passing, and according   
to his internal clock he'd been unconscious for   
only a few minutes. The magical enhancement  
should have been good for at least another hour.  
  
Something was wrong here.  
  
{Okay, no need to panic. First thing to do is find   
out exactly what I've got left to work with and   
then go from there.}  
  
A quick but through internal check of his status  
wasn't very encouraging. His power reserves were   
*much* lower then they should have been. Even   
taking into account the extra energy needed to   
activate his tattoos, it still didn't explain   
why most of his available PPE was missing.  
In his current condition he just *might*   
be a match for that Tux-boy jerk.  
  
{Magga cammara(2), I haven't been this wasted   
since taking on that Nightlord bastard....}  
  
Just thinking about it brought up a whole bunch of   
really bad memories. His stay there had nearly cost him   
his life, his sanity and his soul. Mind and spirit   
had both eventually recovered from that horrific ordeal.   
But without Erin Tarn and Ishtar, he would never have   
been able to find the will to keep on going. He owed   
them both a debt that he would never be able to fully repay.  
  
But there was no magic in the Universe that could fully heal   
a broken heart. Ranma would carry those scars till the day he died.   
Which, if things kept going the way they were, might be sooner  
then expected.  
  
{Damn it all!! I can accept dying for a good cause!!  
BUT I REFUSE TO GET KILLED BECAUSE OF SOMETHING THIS STUPID!!!}  
  
In his anger Ranma found the strength to move.   
A surge of raw power snapped through his muscles as   
he strained to shake off whatever was pinning him down.  
  
For a moment nothing happened.  
  
Then there was a creaking groan as   
the pieces of roof began to shudder   
and give way. A loud crash sounded   
as the remaining debris collapsed   
on either side of him.  
  
{I'm free!}   
  
But the effort had cost him dearly. Ranma   
could barely find the strength to stand up.  
He was forced to lean heavily on the remains   
of what had once been a wall. Even with its   
support he stumbled twice.   
  
{Kuso!}  
  
Gut wrenching nausea struck as he finally   
reached a more or less upright position.  
The unlucky Knight had to fight the reflex   
to drop to his knees and puke his guts out.   
His sense of balance was going crazy, the world kept  
dipping and swaying and spinning and twirling  
with the occasional loop-dee-loop for good measure.  
  
The low pitched drumming that some sadistic   
musician was beating into his eardrums wasn't helping   
him either. And it was getting a bit chilly for some   
reason...  
  
{Wa-wa-wait a sec. Why is it so drafty?}  
  
Ranma looked down. His body was bruised   
and battered, but still in one piece.  
  
His Cosmic Armor on the other hand...  
  
{!!!}  
  
Now that was a totally different story!  
  
All he could do was look down in disbelief  
at a lot of bare skin that *wasn't* supposed   
to be exposed.  
  
There also seemed to be a lot of little black bits  
of material scattered all around the area.   
In fact that debris looked *awfully* familar...  
  
{*GACK* Th-tha-that's my ARMOR!!!}  
  
She had blown up his armor.  
  
She had blown up his *COSMIC* armor.  
  
But that was supposed to be impossible!!  
  
A Cosmoknight's armor was one of the best protections in   
the Multiverse. That wasn't just an idle boast, it was a fact.  
Not only did it possess the innate resistance to energy that   
Ranma himself had, it was also capable of sustaining an   
incredible amount of abuse from practically any source *and*  
repairing that damage within a few minutes.  
  
Although some attacks were able to penetrate his armor,   
the sheer power needed to completely *destroy* the suit   
was on a scale that was simply mindboggling!  
  
{How in the Forge's name did that woman *DO* that?!}   
  
Ranma shuddered to think of what could have happened had   
he not been in his Cosmic form. Those dark fragments   
scattered across the ground would probably have been   
bits and pieces of *him* instead.   
  
As it was, enough of the blast had still gotten   
through to leave him damn near helpless. Right now   
all he was running on was plain old fashioned   
guts and stubborn determination.  
  
It wasn't enough, and Ranma knew it.   
  
{Shit! I really underestimated her. Gotta get   
outta here fast, I need time to let my body  
pull itself back together.}  
  
Speaking of which, why hadn't his   
healing factor kicked in already?   
  
Unless...  
  
{Uh oh.}  
  
He couldn't feel the telltale tingle that   
was the usual indicator of his armor putting  
itself back to rights like it was supposed to.   
Nor was his own body recovering at its normal   
rate, while Ranma could sense some life returning   
to the most damaged areas it was taking *much*   
longer then it should have.   
  
That was an even more horrifying and unwelcome   
discovery then the amount of damage the blast   
had caused. Getting severely injured wasn't   
normally that much to worry about, it happened  
to him all the time. But not being able to   
recover from those injuries in a few minutes,   
now THAT was a problem!  
  
{Okay, *now* it's time to panic.}   
  
~~~~  
-At Any Cost  
  
Sailor Pluto slowly sank to her knees in exhaustion,  
without the Time Staff as a support she would have collapsed  
totally. Her reserves had been virtually depleted by the   
enormous energy requirements of the "Chrono Trigger" technique.  
  
It was easy enough to make a hole in space-time and direct  
the resulting flood of wild quantum level energies at the enemy.  
Usually no more then a few seconds of exposure were needed to assure  
complete and total annihilation of the target(s). The hard part   
was *closing* the tear before it got out of control and ended up   
wiping out all existance within several hundred kilometers.  
  
And she hadn't used this attack in almost a thousand years,  
because it reminded her of...Ran.   
  
Even a millenia later her memories of him remained dark and   
bitter. She hated him more then anything in the Universe,   
there were simply no adequate words capable of describing   
the sheer burning rage she felt whenever she remembered   
the man who had gained her trust, stolen her heart, and   
then cruelly betrayed her.  
  
Because of his treachery a kingdom had fallen. Everything   
that she had fought for, all that she had sworn to protect   
with her life and honor, gone. Her ruler and fellow Senshi   
dead, along with over a billion innocent souls. But what   
he'd done to her personally had been far, far worse then   
mere death. That would have been a blessing compared to   
the fate he had inflicted upon her.  
  
Ran had left her alive, the only surviver of the once   
proud Silver Millenium Empire. For that alone she would   
have seen him writhe in agony within the deepest pits of   
the Abyss for all eternity.   
  
Trapped within the Corridor of Time and helpless to intervene,   
all she had been able to do was watch the horror repeat   
itself again and again as the currents of the Timestream   
flowed endlessly before her. It was enough to drive a   
lesser person completely insane, but she had been denied  
the easy escape of madness. Instead, her shame and guilt   
had grown until she now loathed herself almost as much as   
she hated her betrayer.  
  
Setsuna had learned her lesson well. Love was a fantasy   
for fools and dreamers, she was neither of those anymore.  
Ran had destroyed her illusions, all she had left now was  
this last attempt to make amends. By ensuring the security   
of the future Crystal Millenium Empire she sought redemption   
for her one fatal lapse in judgement. It was her self-imposed   
penance. She would not fail Serenity a second time. One way or   
another this threat to the Princess and her kingdom would end,   
no matter the cost.  
  
A single lonely tear ran down a face that might as   
well have been cast in marble for all the emotion   
it showed. Only her crimson eyes did any trace of   
emotion escape the control that had cost her so   
much to learn.  
  
"No matter the cost..."  
  
~~~~  
-Be Afraid. Be *VERY* Afraid.  
  
*CRASH*  
  
"What was that?!"  
  
"It came from over there!"  
  
The Inners snapped out of their   
trance-like states as if awakening   
from a bad dream, right now they   
were willing to grasp at any straw   
of hope no matter how slim it was.  
  
"Can you see anything?!"  
  
"No, there's too much dust!"  
  
"If he's hurt *I* get to nurse him back to health!"  
  
"In your dreams Venus! He'd be in even worse   
shape afterwards!"  
  
"You're one to talk, Jupiter! As I recall you   
*flunked* First Aid training!"  
  
"Um, guys we have to *find* him first. Besides,   
I'm studying to be a doctor anyway..."  
  
"Hey! I have dibs!!"  
  
"No, I do!!"  
  
~~~~~~  
-Say It With Flowers  
  
The Universe had an unwritten law concerning Ranma Saotome  
that was similar in nature to the one it had concerning a  
certain blonde Galaxy Police detective. Although the wording   
of that law was quite long and tedious, what it boiled down to   
was "The given odds for any event happening are no longer   
applicable when said individual is involved".  
  
Case in point. Having already sustained considerable damage  
to his person from Sailor Pluto's attack, Ranma was now   
practically helpless and it looked more and more likely that  
he would wind up being fussed over by pretty girls yet *again*.  
  
This had happened quite often back in the Three Galaxies and on   
Rifts Earth...and Wormwood...and the Forgotten Realms...  
and...and...well, you get the idea. Let's just say that  
Saotome was no stranger to the horrors of being nursed   
back to health! It would be faster (not to mention *safer*)  
for him to tend to his own injuries, and if Ranma could   
have had his way that's just what he would have done.  
  
Unfortunately for him, Fate loves to kick a guy when he's down.  
It's one of her little quirks that tends to send most sane beings  
running if they know what's good for them. Which is why people  
tend to stick with Destiny, who is kinder and much more reliable.  
  
So it was cruel twist of Fate (pun intended) that the first   
person to spot him was none other then the only person there  
who was willing and able to deliver some serious payback.  
  
{There he is!}  
  
Yes, Tuxedo-Cuckoo was just determined to make an already   
lousy day for Ranma even worse. But then again, Mamoru Chiba   
could never be accused of any of those silly things like   
fighting fair, respecting rules of engagement, or not   
taking advantage of a clearly incapacitated individual.   
After all, the best opponents to hit were those that   
couldn't hit back.  
  
Of course he just *had* to use the one item in his rather   
tiny arsenal which was capable of actually doing anything.  
  
The rose throw was cliche, annoying,   
and an otherwise stupid looking attack.  
  
But it worked.   
  
"YES!! I got him!!!"  
  
Tuxedo Kamen would have jumped up and down in glee   
if he could have found a dignified way to do so.  
  
"You did WHAT?!!"  
  
Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus obviously didn't share   
his feeling of accomplishment. The two Senshi made that   
very clear when they kicked his shins with all of their   
strength.   
  
"OWWW!!"  
  
Then they got *really* violent.  
  
Sailor Mercury sweatdropped before running  
out to hopefully fix the mess the Caped   
Blunder had made of things. Minako and  
Makoto would be right behind her as soon   
as they finished venting a little post-battle   
stress and she wanted some time to attend her   
patient alone. There was no telling *what*   
further calamities might occur when those   
two tried to help.  
  
Mercury was so caught up in trying to avoid attracting   
attention from the others while making the best possible  
speed that she completely missed Sailor Saturn's silent  
presence following right behind her.  
  
~~~~~  
-Oro?  
  
Saotome normally liked roses. They were pretty, smelled good,   
and *really* useful for when he was in a pinch involving   
women. But he didn't enjoy it when one was hurled at his   
body with the intent to maim or kill.   
  
And he *really* didn't like it when that rose turned   
out to be a surprisingly effective projectile weapon  
against him.   
  
{SONAVABITCH!! I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance!!}  
  
Ranma jerked backwards in agony as the razor sharp stem   
sunk deeply into his already weakened flesh just past his   
collar bone. On a scale of one to ten, this rated a solid   
seven on the Saotome Pain-O-meter. It felt like he'd just   
been hit by a Hyper Grav-Cannon round, even though the actual   
injury was insignificant. It was the enchantment placed on the   
flower that was now draining into him which was doing the real   
damage. Flashes of red and white briefly obscured the badly wounded   
Knight's rapidly blurring vision as his sorely taxed body fought   
a losing battle to stay upright and conscious.   
  
"Some...vacation...this is..."  
  
{And to think that the Forge said this was going   
to be a good chance to relax and unwind. I should   
have seen this coming...}  
  
Ranma teetered, then he slowly started to collapse.  
The last thing he saw before everything went black   
was a generous amount of tanned cleavage.  
  
Okay, so even Fate can be merciful once in a great while.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-From the Frying Pan to the Breakfast Platter  
  
"Whoof!"  
  
Urd had to scramble to catch the young man as he fell.  
She hadn't been expecting him to suddenly come crashing   
down onto her like that. At least he was lighter then  
he looked.   
  
"*This* is your very cunning plan?! Just run in and grab him?!!"  
  
The sad thing was, Skuld had been expecting some kind of   
harebrained stunt from her older sister. Just not *this* crazy!  
  
"It worked didn't it? So stop complaining and give me a hand here!"  
  
Under other circumstances Urd would have enjoyed having a young   
man's head pressed firmly against her ample bosom, but right now   
she was too busy trying to keep her balance while holding onto  
the unconscious stranger. He wasn't that heavy, but it was all   
dead weight, which made holding onto him clumsy and uncertain.   
  
On a more positive note, she was learning more about him now   
then during the entire time he had been wearing that strange   
armor. A pity that it wasn't *all* gone, part of his helmet   
and some scattered half-melted bits that had apparently avoided   
the worst of the blast were still obscuring most of the important  
parts. But the goddess had still gotten a good look at him before   
he'd passed out on her.   
  
Urd *liked* what she saw.   
  
Lean and tight in *all* the right places, not rippling with   
bulging muscles in every possible direction like most of   
the Asgardian Patheon, but definitely packing some serious power.   
She was willing to wager that if this guy were patched up and   
cleaned up a bit he would be quite a treat for the eyes,  
among *other* things...  
  
{Hmmm. Maybe I should just let him *work* his debt off.}  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a warm stickiness   
soaking through the front of her garments.  
  
Puzzled by this strange (but oddly familar)   
sensation, she took a moment to look down.   
  
The first thing that came to mind was "What a mess".  
  
The second one was "Belldandy's going   
to have her work cut out for her trying   
to get *this* stain out".  
  
And it was one of her favorites too!  
  
She gave the offender an annoyed look.  
  
"You're going to owe me big time for this."  
  
Fortunately Ranma was in no condition to answer her.  
His shoulder continued to bleed like a leaky faucet  
as the embedded thorns tore deeper at even the   
slightest movement.  
  
{Don't you *dare* die on me!}  
  
The brief feeling of possessiveness was   
noted and logged for later contemplation.   
Right now she had bigger things to worry about.  
Like getting the heck out of there before   
something *else* went wrong.  
  
It looked like it was time for   
"Urd's Super Duper Clever Distraction"(tm)!  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
Skuld eyed her now glowing sister nervously.  
  
This was going to be *bad*.  
  
"Hey, look over there!!"  
  
Urd pointed at a spot that coincidently   
happened to be the exact opposite direction   
from where she was currently standing.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Masaki household (Where Truth Is Stranger Then Fiction)  
  
Washu snorted in disbelief.  
  
"Oh c'mon! What kind of two-bit   
idiot would fall for that old gag?!"  
  
"Where? Where is it?! I wanna see!"  
  
Ryoko, Minagi, and the recently recovered   
Ayeka all craned their heads in an attempt   
to get a glimpse of what everyone was making   
such a fuss about.  
  
*KA-BOOM*  
  
The greatest scientific genius in the   
universe facefaulted onto the living   
room floor and started twitching.   
  
Ask a stupid question...  
  
~~~~~~  
-Ready. Set. Run away!  
  
"Urd, that was so...STUPID!!"  
  
"Hey, don't fix it if it's not broken."  
  
"And what's *that* supposed to mean?!"  
  
But her big sister wasn't paying attention,  
instead she seemed to be looking for something   
in the rubble.  
  
"Oh c'mon...they can't *all* have been destroyed."  
  
Then she spotted it.  
  
{Bingo!}  
  
Not the most ideal focus for a tranport,   
but since this was an emergency it would do.  
  
Urd grabbed her little sister, secured her   
unconscious passenger, and got ready to skedaddle.  
  
"Hang on, we're getting outta here!"  
  
The young goddess blanched as she  
listened to the chant that her older   
sibling was using.  
  
She wouldn't!   
Anything but *THAT*!!   
Not the "Official Heavenly Sake Hangover Instant Transport" spell!!!  
  
"Wait! Wait!!"  
  
Skuld shouted frantically as she   
struggled to escape before it was   
too late.  
  
"...She who parties and gets away,   
lives to get drunk another day!"  
  
Divine power surrounded them   
as the platinum bombshell   
finished her casting.  
  
"Aaaaa-"  
  
*Insert Spiffy Goddess Special Effects Here*  
  
The trio vanished in a swirl of white light.  
  
So did several scattered bits and pieces   
of what appeared to be random junk.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-There's A Nice Bridge In Brooklin Available For A Reasonable Price...  
  
The still smoking remains of what had once   
been a deluxe television set tipped over with   
a loud *Crash*.  
  
Everyone that was still there turned back around.  
  
"..."  
  
A long silence followed.  
  
Jupiter was the first one to recover   
and point out the obvious.  
  
"They...disappeared!!"  
  
A brilliant deduction by Venus followed.  
  
"Gah! She tricked us!!"  
  
A red faced Mercury closed her eyes and wished   
that the ground would just swallow her up.   
She was NEVER going to live this one down.  
  
{I-I can't believe *I* fell for that!!}  
  
Could things possibly go any more wrong right now?  
  
Emergency sirens blared as a swarm of   
patrol cars came rushing toward the scene.  
  
{Of *course* they could...}  
  
Since all the monsters were gone   
Tokyo's finest had decided that   
*now* was a good time to show up.  
  
"Hey guys! Did we miss anything?"  
  
"Whoa! What happened here?!"  
  
Sailor Mars and Sailor Moon looked  
at the other Senshi curiously. They   
looked rather surprised to see the two of   
them there. Okay, so they were a *little*  
late. But the situation seemed to be under  
control. It wasn't anything to make a big   
fuss over, right?  
  
"WELL IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME YOU TWO SHOWED UP!!!"  
  
Sailor Moon might not be so hot as a fighter.  
But she knew how to grovel at a level that   
put the "Crouch of the Wild Tiger" to shame.  
  
"AAAHH!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll never be   
late again!! Just stop making those scary faces!!"  
  
Fortunately Mars managed to stop herself before she  
followed her first instinctive reaction of hurling   
spirit wards at the terrifying apparitions looming   
over her.  
  
"We can assign blame later! Let's just get out   
of here before something *else* happens."  
  
That was when it started to rain.  
  
"Doh!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Heaven on Earth (Or The Next Best Thing)  
  
"Keiichi, you might want to back up a little bit."  
  
"Why's that, Belldandy?"  
  
"I'm afraid that Urd used one of the more esoteric Holy magics."  
  
Keiichi looked properly horrified as he sprang   
back from the television screen, he remembered   
the *last* big spell that Urd had attempted.   
It had taken two weeks for the antenna to fall   
off of his forehead. He still broke out into  
cold sweats whenever he saw a flyswatter.  
  
Still, even that couldn't prepare him for what came next.  
  
Three small sonic booms shook the temple in quick succession.  
  
Urd, Skuld, and some half-naked guy who was bleeding like   
crazy from a nasty chest wound came crashing out of a   
large crystalline gate that appeared directly in front  
of him.  
  
A moment later the gate imploded back into   
the nothingness it had originated from.  
Its passengers were deposited almost   
exactly where Keiichi had been sitting   
before Belldandy's warning.  
  
"Wh-who is this?!"  
  
"He's the one that saved Skuld's sorry tush,  
not that you could tell by looking at him now."  
  
"I said I was sorry for going out alone!  
Hey! Where's Banpei?!"  
  
A small downpour of robotic parts dropped on Keiichi.  
  
"Ow! Ouch! Hey! That hurts!! Quit it!! Ow!!"  
  
"Banpei-kun!!"  
  
Crying with relief, the petite goddess grabbed   
all of Banpei's components and disappeared into  
her room in record time.  
  
"Don't worry my precious!! You'll be as good as   
new in no time!!"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
Morisato rubbed a sore spot on his nose where   
a gear had bounced off, he should have known   
that Skuld would be Skuld.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Tendo Household (We Lower Your Property Values For Less)  
  
To the casual observer everything   
appeared to be normal.  
  
Genma, having already disregarded his son's   
warning to "Get off your lazy butt and find   
an honest job for once in your life",  
was playing shogi with Soun on the porch   
by the koi pond. Naturally both of them were   
cheating like crazy, resorting to lame   
tricks that even their much dreaded   
master would have been ashamed to use.  
  
Pathetic, but perfectly in character for those two.  
  
Meanwhile, Kasumi was doing the chores  
which the so called "men" of the house   
seemed to think were beneath their dignity  
or simply beyond their intellectual capacity.  
  
Again, nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
Or so it seemed...  
  
A closer look revealed that the eldest  
Tendo daughter was doing something that   
could be considered slightly odd for her.  
  
Kasumi was *singing*.  
  
"I've been looking for this emotion,  
Pure feelings hidden inside of me."  
  
A genuine glow of happiness seemed to  
emanate from her as she twirled through  
the house with broom and duster in hand.  
  
"The harder I chase my dream..."  
  
There was a light spring in her step,  
as for the first time in her life   
the willowy beauty let herself picture   
a future where the family she took care   
of would be her own.  
  
"...the more I experience the time for smiles and tears."  
  
It might be a little difficult at first   
for her younger sisters to take over   
the running the household once she was gone   
but Kasumi was sure that they would be   
up to the challenge.  
  
"I know that, but..."   
  
A small feeling of doubt arose.  
  
Did she dare to leap into the unknown?  
  
Could she afford *not* to try?  
  
Would there be someone waiting to catch her on the other side?  
Or would she find herself falling forever, helpless and alone?  
To risk it all, or not at all.  
  
"...sometimes I want to be more like myself and feel the wind.  
I want to find the future of no one else but me."  
  
For a long time Kasumi had been following   
a safe and mundane road in life. Now the   
way to a new path was being offered to her,  
one that promised to turn her entire world  
topsy turvy but at the same time tempted   
her with a chance to fullfill a deep   
heartfelt longing which had remained   
buried and nameless for a very long time...  
  
~~~~~~~  
-The Cure Can Be Worse Then The Disease  
  
"Move him over to the futon."  
  
Belldandy was relieved to see that her  
older sister had already started to apply  
a compress in order to slow the bleeding.  
  
Even if she did look less then thrilled about   
having to use the small remaining part of her   
robe that hadn't already been splattered as   
a makeshift bandage.  
  
{Darn it! I'm a Goddess of Love, not a field nurse!!}  
  
Urd glared at the nearest conscious target   
for her irritation.  
  
"Make yourself useful and hold him down.   
I need to pull this stupid flower out   
of him."  
  
Keiichi gave her a funny look in return.   
  
Hold him down?!   
  
She had to be kidding!   
  
Just *look* at him!   
  
He felt like a twig compared to this guy!  
  
"Do I have to do *everything* myself?"  
  
Morisato sighed in defeat, his head   
bowed in shame at having to surrender   
so easily.   
  
It was sad but true, he was a weenie.  
  
"I'm coming."  
  
~~~~~~  
-Exactly 1 minute 32 seconds later (Or It Simply Sucks To Be You...)  
  
Keiichi Morisato, perhaps the most lucky (or   
unlucky depending at how you look at it) guy  
on Earth, was currently regretting that he'd  
never taken the time to exercise and workout  
more.   
  
"AAAAAAAA-"  
  
He was also wishing that he had taken skydiving lessons.  
  
*CRASH*  
  
"-AAAAAAA-"  
  
It was a good thing that the wall he went  
through was actually nothing more then a   
flimsy screen divider, otherwise someone   
might have gotten hurt.  
  
*CRASH*  
  
"-AAAAA-"  
  
Well, it was only *two* screen dividers.  
  
*CRASH*  
  
Uh oh.  
  
"-AAAAAA-"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
Oh dear.  
  
"-AAAAAAA-"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
[How do I get into these messes?!!}  
  
~~~~Two Seconds Earlier~~~~  
  
"Be careful, this is probably going   
to hurt him a bit. Be sure to brace   
yourself, he's kinda strong."  
  
Urd had an infamous talent for understatement.  
  
~~~~Back To The Predicament At Hand~~~~  
  
"-AAAAAA-"  
  
*CRASH*  
  
This was so unfair! The most perfect woman  
in the world was in love with him and he   
was going to die a virgin!  
  
"-AAAAAAA!!!"  
  
*squish*  
  
The realization that he wasn't dead started to   
slowly sink in. With that matter settled,  
he proceeded to try and identify the puzzling  
incongruity here.  
  
{Squish?}  
  
That was funny, he didn't remember  
putting such soft cushions in this room.   
And warm too. How odd.  
  
For some reason they reminded him of   
Belldandy but for the life of him he   
couldn't figure out *why*.  
  
They even smelled like her. A subtle   
perfume of fresh baked cookies and   
spring flowers that he never got tired of.  
  
"Keiichi?"  
  
Uh oh.  
  
A feeling of dread and foreboding(tm)  
started to creep in.  
  
{Kami-sama wouldn't be that cruel...}  
  
In retrospect, it was a *really*   
bad idea to open his eyes.   
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Furinkan High (Where The Quality Of Education Is The *Least* Of Your Worries)  
  
The lunch hour had come and gone. But   
she *still* couldn't find him anywhere.   
  
To say that Nabiki was more then a tad peeved   
by this was like saying Tatewaki Kuno was only   
slightly less intelligent then your average cucumber.  
  
Ranma had been gone *far* too long for any "reasonable"  
explanation. And despite Kuno's loud and pompous speech   
about how he'd "driven off the craven coward like the   
sniveling peasant trash he was", any student with more   
then two brain cells to rub together knew better then   
to listen to him. Naturally the male students on campus   
bought every word of it.  
  
Even despite the fact that Kendo-boy was  
currently unable to stand up straight without   
immediately going cross-eyed and clutching   
at the Kuno family baubles.  
  
{Where *is* he?}  
  
And while she would never admit it (even under oath),   
she was starting to worry about him. He didn't   
seem like the type to up and vanish like that   
without a word to anyone else.   
  
Something was up.  
  
And whatever it was, she was going to get to the   
bottom of it. There was her reputation to consider   
after all. *Nobody* pulled a fast one on Nabiki Tendo.  
  
It had been awhile since she'd faced such a difficult   
puzzle and Nabiki could feel her insatiable curiosity   
start to lick its chops in anticipation of the challenge   
to come.  
  
{I must be out of my mind...}  
  
Ranma might be attractive but was he *really*   
worth the headaches that seemed destined to   
accompany him?  
  
{Who am I kidding? Like I'll ever   
get another opportunity even remotely   
close to this one?}  
  
Nabiki was not a fool.   
  
"Kyyaa-*thump*-oww!!"  
  
Her sister on the other hand...  
  
"Give it up already, Akane! You're never   
going to be able to accomplish a double   
spin kick somersault-flip with a butterfly   
open hand strike after just seeing   
Ranma use it this morning!"  
  
The judges were out on that one.   
  
"If he can do it, so can I!   
I'm a martial artist too, you know!!"  
  
Nabiki could feel a headache coming on.  
  
{Sis, you only shout that out to the   
entire world every couple of hours.   
Maybe you should say it a little louder,   
I think a few people in Antarctica haven't   
heard you yet.}  
  
Why the heck was Akane so upset anyway?   
Just because someone else had *finally*  
done something about the morning spectacle  
and given Kuno-chan a much needed lesson  
in humility? Or was little sister jealous  
about no longer having the attention of   
the entire school anymore?   
  
She tried to shake off the smug sensation  
produced by that line of throught, but her   
efforts weren't very effective. There was   
just something deliciously ironic about Akane  
being upstaged by *Nabiki's* prospective fiance'.  
  
{Well, as soon as I *find* him....}  
  
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  
  
{Watch out Saotome, you've just met your match.}  
  
And she always played to win.  
  
What she forgot to figure into her calculations   
was that even fools can be dangerous under the   
right circumstances.   
  
~~~~~~~  
-The Stuff Dreams (And Nightmares) Are Made Of  
  
Cosmoknights rarely dreamed.  
  
Their minds were restructured by the Cosmic Forge   
during their initial transformation into an efficient  
configuration that didn't require much to continue   
functioning. Most Knights could go for weeks or   
even months without rest, suffering only minimal   
reductions to their performance and efficiency.   
"Sleep" for them usually consisted of nothing   
more then a few minutes of simple meditation   
where the poisons and stresses that have been   
built up by activity were purged by their   
unique metabolism. They possessed a mind-body   
relationship which in some ways surpassed even   
that of the dreaded Phase Adepts.  
  
It was this control which enabled them to access  
so many of their unique abilities. Their power  
of flight was governed by pure will, a Knight   
merely had to concentrate and his body followed.   
Similarly their FTL capability was a product of   
mental discipline and focus. Through meditation   
a Cosmoknight's absolute mastery of each and every   
cell of their body enabled them to temporarily   
transform from matter to pure Cosmic Energy capable   
of surpassing even the most powerful hyperdrive.  
  
One of the side effects of such rigid discipline  
was an inability to naturally achieve the REM state   
necessary for dreaming under normal circumstances.   
It was extremely difficult to relax their self control   
long enough for theta waves to be produced, the closest   
thing to real dreams that most Knights ever experienced   
was a kind of "Zen" state where their consciousness   
received orders and information from the Forge.  
  
This particular situation was far from ordinary.  
  
Ranma's ravaged system was busy trying to overcome   
the effects of Sailor Pluto's attack that had   
irradiated his body with dangerous and unstable  
quantum level energies. The effect was compounded  
by the raw magic leaking from Tuxedo Kamen's  
sloppily enchanted bit of foliage. Even the   
considerable protection granted by the Cosmic   
Forge had never been intended to defend against   
such an unusual combination like this.  
  
All it had been able to do initially was keep the   
damage from spreading further, but nothing could be   
done about the ice cold fire that screamed down   
every nerve cluster as millions of living cells   
were torn asunder, only to regenerate in whole,   
only to be ripped apart once more. The cycle of   
death and rebirth repeated itself without any   
end in sight, only the unceasing pain was constant.  
Even the strongest will could remain in control for   
only so long under these circumstances.   
  
All that was required was the smallest   
slip to achieve the necessary conditions.  
  
That chance came when his body, instinctively sensing   
that further measures were needed, slipped further   
into unconsciousness in order to initiate a desperately  
needed healing trance.   
  
Ranma dreamed.   
  
Through a haze of pain and delirium, he dreamed.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Governer Ryga's palace (Firefight In Progress)  
BGM: Mad Machine (Bubble Gum Crisis)  
  
The Imperial Forces were putting up one heck of a fight.  
But then again, the rebels wouldn't have it any other way.  
The hatred between the two sides ran too deep.  
  
"Squads 1 and 2 take point, clean out   
those hallways and make sure those Imps  
didn't leave us any nasty parting gifts."  
  
His sergeants nodded and signaled their  
teams to advance, the troops used whatever   
scant cover was available as energy beams   
and solid slugs hissed and screamed back   
and forth between the lines. Their efforts   
were only successful part of the time. Several  
unlucky rebels were hit on an exposed front   
or flank. Very few of them got back up afterwords.  
  
War hadn't gotten any prettier   
in the future, only more efficient.   
  
"Squad 4, form up and protect the Resistance  
Leaders, we didn't come this far just to lose  
them to some stupid private with shit on   
his boots."  
  
The squad's soldiers started to carefully pull back,   
each person laying down covering fire for the next  
as they regrouped behind the front lines. A fresh   
squad quickly moved to replace their positions,   
though not without suffering casualties in doing so.  
  
"The rest of you, let's kick some Legionnaire ASS!!"  
  
"YES SIR!!!"  
  
General Skythe possessed that rare mix of charisma   
and brimstone which his troops would gladly follow into   
Hell itself if he asked them to. Having lost his wife  
and only son to the Kreeghor's brutalities,   
Dennis Skythe had dedicated his life to destroying   
the Empire. He was a hard man, but fair in his own way.  
  
"So which position should I cover, Grandpa?"  
  
Skythe's lower jaw smacked painfully onto the   
cold permacrete floor as he did a double take  
at the sight of his 16 year old granddaughter   
standing next to him wearing worn combat fatigues   
and shouldering a laser rifle like she had been   
born for it.  
  
"Hsi-Feng?! What the hell are you doing here?!   
I told you to stay back at the base!!"  
  
Heads were going to roll when he found out   
who was responsible for this mixup!!  
  
"There's no way I'm staying behind   
during a major engagement like this!"  
  
Scratch that, he should have known that the   
little mule of a brat would try something  
like this on her own. She had her mother's   
features, but she'd gotten her damned   
pigheadedness from him.   
  
Dennis rued the day he'd been forced   
to assume responsibility for raising her.  
How the heck anyone back then had expected   
him to know diddlysquat about taking care for   
a little five year old girl in the middle   
of damn intergalactic civil war was beyond   
even his comprehension. He'd done the best  
he could of course, but as she'd gotten older  
Hsi-Feng had turned into a complete tomboy.  
  
Hell, she could use that rifle she was   
carrying better then most of his troops.   
That *still* didn't excuse her being   
here though!!  
  
"You little...don't you realize how   
dangerous this is?!"  
  
{I swear that when this is all over   
I'm going to tan her little bottom   
so hard, she'll be standing for a month!!}  
  
Although even that probably wouldn't stop  
her from pulling another harebrained stunt  
like this.   
  
{Goddamnit! I'm getting too bloody old for this!!}  
  
"By all rights I should have you thrown in solitary   
with nothing but bread and water!! But-"  
  
"But you can't afford to detail any soldiers off   
from securing the palace to escort me back to base,  
now can you?"  
  
He glared at her.   
  
"You knew."  
  
Hsi-Feng stood her ground as she faced his  
his stormy expression. They both knew it was   
an empty threat, but he still had to try and   
save face in front of his men. There really   
was no good reason for him to send her back.  
She was just as qualified, if not more so, as   
any of the other soldiers to be there.   
  
"Just a logical guess."  
  
A flicker of grudging admiration   
crossed his face, his granddaughter  
might have many faults, but a coward   
she was not. The girl was going to give   
him a stroke one of these days.  
  
Unexpectedly Skythe felt a   
pang of sorrow in his heart.  
  
Where had all the time gone?  
  
He could barely see any traces of that cute   
little tyke who had laughed so happily at   
her "Gwamps Skytights" in this hardened   
young soldier.   
  
For fifty years he'd been fighting in this bloody war.   
During that time his duties had cost him many things,   
but none of them were more painful then seeing the   
only family he had left denied the chance to   
experience more in life then just the battlefield.  
  
Maybe...  
  
Maybe it was time to start thinking about Hsi-Feng's future.  
  
But first he had one last promise to keep.   
  
Only when K'tarthkl'ppe was dead would he finally be   
able to lay the ghosts of the past behind him. It had   
taken over a decade of searching, but at last the   
bastard who had murdered his son was going to pay.   
  
"Stay close to me and for once,   
try to keep out of trouble!"  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
She smiled back at him. For a moment   
he caught a glimpse of that little   
girl he remembered in those laughing   
gray eyes.  
  
A renewed sense of certainity filled him.  
This was why he was fighting, for Hsi-Feng  
and all the others like her that deserved  
better in life then this.  
  
"ATTACK!!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Floor by floor they cleared the governor's palace   
of Imperial scum. It was hard and bloody work,   
the butcher's bill was going to be far too high   
when all of this was over. They were winning,  
slowly but steadily. It was only a matter of time.  
But every minute that the battle continued increased  
the grim toll for Rebels and Imperials alike.  
  
{Damn this war and damn the people who forced   
us to fight it in the first place!!}  
  
Skythe hoped Ryga was pissing himself right now.  
  
With all of the exits sealed off and the sky   
being watched by Rebel forces, there was no  
escape for the tyrant.   
  
He and Hsi-Feng had split off from the main group,  
taking a small band with them to search for the   
governor while the others finished mopping up the   
remaining spots of Imperial resistance. It was a   
tricky business, they might be winning but their   
hold on the palace was far from secure. The Imps   
were still fighting for every meter of ground that   
they took, but there was an increasing sense of   
desperation in their resistance. The Rebels had   
cleared most of the main halls, but there were still   
occasional groups lurking around that they'd missed   
during the initial sweep.  
  
To add to their headaches an occasional automated   
defense system would still pop out in areas that   
the rebels had already secured, they had few options  
except to always watch their backs. And until their   
electronic-countermeasures teams went through this   
place there was always the danger of stumbling upon   
a makeshift mine or bomb.  
  
Dennis let his reflexes take over as he led his   
troops through each room. There was no time for  
hesitation, no time to think, not if he wanted   
to stay alive and in one piece. Rather then   
suppress the fear which rose up in him, he put   
it to work for him. Everyone got scared, the   
trick was not to let it cripple you at a critical   
moment. All of his senses were keyed up, on the   
alert for even the slightest hint of danger.  
  
It was that alertness which saved his life.  
  
Just as he was about to head back down one of the   
previously checked side passages connecting to the   
heart of the palace Skythe caught a flash of movement   
in the shadows.  
  
He rolled to the side, while a quick snap shot took out   
the trooper lurking behind a lifesize crystal statue   
of the governor.  
  
The acrid smell of ozone from his plasma charge   
burning through the air had just reached him  
when a "colonial" laser rifle blasted from his   
near right to take out the Imperial lacky who had   
been drawing a bead on him from the *other* side of   
the statue.  
  
Hsi-Feng's shot burned through the other Imp's faceplate,   
which mercifully obscured the graphic demise of the being   
wearing it.   
  
Skythe spared a moment to give his granddaughter  
a look of irritation. That shot of hers had  
been much too close for comfort.  
  
"How about a little warning before you fire that damn thing?"  
  
Hsi-Feng shrugged carelessly.   
  
"Sorry, there wasn't any time."  
  
But the impish gleam in her eyes indicated   
that she wasn't the least bit contrite.  
  
"Humph!"  
  
Turning away, he performed a quick search but found  
nothing of any real importance. It seemed that they'd   
just caught a pair of stragglers from the main enemy body.   
  
But where had they come from? The only ways out   
led back to the main hall where they had come from.   
Skythe and his men had already searched this exact   
same room just a few minutes earlier...  
  
Click.  
  
"What the...?!"  
  
One of the wall panels slid *inward* at his touch.  
  
"So that's how they got here."   
  
Hsi-Feng ran a finger along the rim of the entrance  
then tapped the butt of her rifle lightly against   
the dark blue crystals that were revealed.  
  
A thoughtful frown crossed her face.  
  
"Looks like psynetic shielding. That would   
explain why nobody picked this up earlier."  
  
Skythe nodded in agreement, that was what   
he had figured too. Of course Ryga would   
have taken precautions against supernatural  
as well as technological forms of detection.  
  
"It figures, vermin will always have   
bolt holes handy in their nest."  
  
Her expression said it all.  
  
"Let's flush this rat out."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Smoke And Mirrors  
  
Ryga's office turned out to be actually easy   
enough to find. They simply looked for the   
biggest room overflowing with extravagent and   
gaudy displays of wealth and power.  
  
But when they burst inside,   
the surprise turned out to be on them.  
  
The first thing that hit them was the smell.  
  
The misma of recent death was strong,  
nearly a tangible presence in the room.  
It was a stench of fear and suffering   
that could only be described as...Evil.  
  
Then they saw it.   
  
Or rather, what was *left* of it.  
  
The ghastly sight in front of them was enough   
to cause even professional soldiers to recoil   
involuntarily.  
  
Ryga K'tarthkl'ppe, merciless tyrant of  
Rismoth, butcherer of countless millions,  
the most despised individual in this region  
of space, was dead. Murdered. And it did not   
look like his end had been a quick one.  
  
The taste of bile rose in Skythe's throat,  
even in his most vindictive moods he'd never  
imagined anything remotely close to *this*.  
  
"Bloody hell! What's going on here?!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-A Knife In The Dark  
  
Guard duty is almost always a boring job,   
sorta one of those near universal constants.   
What most people fail to understand is that   
boring is a *good* thing. It's on those rare  
occasions when something exciting happens   
that trouble starts.  
  
Unfortunately, the unlucky rebels who'd been  
assigned to sentry duty inside of the main   
computer control room inside the palace didn't   
share this sentiment.   
  
"Damn, I'm bored."  
  
"Would you shut up already! It's not like your   
complaining is helping the time pass any faster,   
you know."  
  
"Okay then, let's talk about something   
else. How do you think the others are doing?"  
  
"Better then we are, that's for sure."  
  
"I can't believe we got stuck with standing   
watch back here. Man, we're missing all the action!"  
  
"That suits me just fine. Getting killed   
ain't exactly high on my list of things   
to do."  
  
"Where's your sense of adventure?"  
  
"Where it belongs, safely buried  
beneath my sense of self preservation."  
  
"Are you a man or a mouse?"  
  
"Squeak squeak."  
  
"Oh very funny. What do you do for an encore?"  
  
That question would never be answered,  
because at that moment the two sentries  
finally sensed the presence behind them.  
  
As they turned their plasma rifles were   
just starting to drop into firing positions.   
But when they saw who it was they hesitated   
for a fatal second.  
  
"You?!"  
  
The sounds of a blaster firing twice in   
quick succession drowned out any further speech.  
  
Both guards dropped like sacks of wet cement,   
steam rising from the gaping holes in their chests.   
Their faces frozen in expressions of surprise and   
horror.  
  
The killer regarded the corpses briefly,  
then dismissed them from any further concern.  
  
All too easy.   
  
A dark gloved hand reached out and   
pushed the body slumped across the   
communications board to the floor.  
  
Sensitive fingers lightly skimmed over the   
decorative red runes that seemed at first   
glance to be nothing more then standard   
Imperial bureacratic artistry.  
  
But those who had built this device always   
had more then one purpose in mind for   
everything they designed.   
  
One simply had to know where to look.  
  
The symbols for "Fate" and "Destiny"   
were found and pushed down into the board.  
  
*Click*  
  
His efforts were rewarded by one of the console   
heads sliding back, revealing a previously hidden   
control panel.   
  
It didn't take long to punch in the proper access codes,   
sending out a prearranged set of commands out into a part   
of the continent that most people considered the middle   
of nowhere.  
  
The figure slipped back through the concealed entrance  
once the green light indicated a successful transfer.  
His job here was almost done. Ryga had been successfully   
disposed of. The signal he'd been instructed to deliever  
during the Rebel attack was even now being sent.  
  
All that was left for him was to tie up some loose ends.  
  
The rest was up to the Empire.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Several hundred miles away   
  
Tucked securely inside a concealed bunker,   
obscured from long range electronic sensors   
by the high metallic content of the surrounding   
mountains, a compact and extremely powerful   
pulse transmitter started to power up.  
  
Within mere seconds it reached full capacity   
and began to beam a series of carefully modulated  
signals out towards deep space.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-High Orbit, Rebel Fleet  
  
"Commander, I just picked up a short high frequency transmission burst from the planet."  
  
"Source?"  
  
"Unknown, it was too quick for me to get a lock.  
It wasn't using any encryptions that I could   
recognize either."  
  
"Strange..."  
  
"If it weren't for the fact that the burst itself   
was on such a high energy wavelength, I would have   
thought it was just random electromagnetic static   
from the mop up of the planet. But there was   
definitely a delibrate pattern embedded in it,  
so that rules out any natural cause."  
  
"Hmmm. It's probably nothing, but we'd better inform   
the Admiral anyway. Tania, patch me through to the Hopebringer."  
  
"I'm on it!"  
  
~~~~~~  
-Phaseworld, The Seel's Whails  
(BGM: The Cantina [Star Wars: A New Hope])  
  
It wasn't what she'd expected.  
  
Instead of being a dark and dirty  
vermin hole, the place was warm,   
well lit and almost cozy in a   
weird futuristic sort of way.   
  
"*This* is a Spacer bar?"  
  
"What, you thought they'd be hanging   
out in some kind of sleazy dump like   
in the movies?"  
  
"Well to be honest, yes."  
  
"Actually, that's often the case.   
But the owner of the Seel's Whails has   
a full set of house rules that she's   
good about enforcing. Plus, this is   
one of those rare places where a   
civilized being can get a decent   
drink for a reasonable price and   
not worry about getting a blaster bolt  
or a vibroblade in the back, so the   
patrons tend to try and keep it that way.  
  
"I see. So who is "she"?"  
  
"Miss Rairruk."  
  
"Does Miss Rairruk have a first name?"  
  
The guide shrugged.  
  
"If she does, she ain't telling."  
  
Katrina's eyes widened as she spied what  
was hanging on the wall behind the main bar.  
Resembling a high-tech samurai, the empty   
Warlock Combat Armor silently watched over   
the rest of the room. Suddenly those last   
few statements made a whole lot more sense.  
  
"Oh my."  
  
If even *half* of what she'd heard about   
the Warlock Marines was true then things   
were probably going to get *very*  
interesting soon.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Their entrance had not gone unnoticed,  
many sets of eyes had come to rest on the newcomers.  
The pair didn't look like regulars, the man   
might be from the Center but his companion   
was most certainly not.   
  
It wasn't her exotic good looks, or the way she was   
dressed, or even the fact that there was a Millenium   
wand hanging from her belt along with several of the   
more dangerous techno-wizard devices.  
  
She just didn't have the "feel" of a Spacer.  
  
This meant she was either a potential   
client or *really* stupid. After seeing   
her deliver a nasty but effective kick   
to the crotch of an overeager pilot with   
more liquer in him then common sense,   
those watching revised their opinions accordingly.  
  
Noting that the rather large male humanoid   
failed to stir from where he lay in a curled  
up fetal position after several minutes,   
the majority of the patrons wisely decided   
to turn back to their drinks and other forms   
of exotic stimulants. It was obvious that  
this one could look out for herself.  
  
Those remaining were mostly hoping for some   
work to come their way. Most of them didn't  
care who they worked for, as long as they   
were paid on time.  
  
But there were always exceptions to the rule.  
  
A pair of hooded eyes paid very   
close attention to the unusual woman...   
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Their contact announced his presence with a   
low whistle of admiration accompanied by his hands   
clapping in respect. It wasn't often that he'd seen  
such a commotion dispatched with so little fuss.  
  
"Not bad. I must admit that I was   
rather worried when you two showed   
up as you did."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Katrina assessed the man before her carefully.  
A mop of black hair flecked with traces of silver,   
enough wrinkles to give his face character, and  
his brown eyes had the mark of combat experience.  
He wasn't young, but given the level of medical  
science available here that meant nothing. It was   
interesting to note how well he seemed to blend in   
with his environment, her gaze tended to slide off   
of him if she didn't concentrate.  
  
"You're not exactly the type of gal that   
blends in with the local scenery. We've   
been keeping tabs on you since the Central   
Checkpoint."  
  
It spoke well for her credentials that she could take   
care of herself so easily. If she really was one of   
Ranma's *intimate* friends, that would explain a lot.  
The captain's taste in women was the stuff of minor   
legend in the Rebellion.   
  
Lt. Nicholas Croaker even had a few credits   
of his own in the "Saotome" lottery that had   
started up a few years ago. Wagering on who   
would be his next conquest was common but   
small potatoes, the bookies had learned the  
hard way not to give anything but token odds   
on that. The real money was in the "Who he'll   
finally end up with" pool. The odds were long,   
*very* long. But the potential payoff for the   
winner was incredibly lucrative, at last check   
the pot consisted of enough credits to buy an   
entire planet!  
  
Putting his dreams of a wealthy retirement aside  
for the moment, Croaker gave his full attention   
to the woman before him.   
  
"My name is Katrina Sun. I..I..."  
  
Flustered, Katrina berated herself silently as she   
struggled to ask what had suddenly become a most   
difficult question.  
  
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves,  
she plunged ahead.  
  
"I'm looking for..."  
  
He raised a hand to interrupt her.  
  
"You want to know about Ranma."  
  
"How-how did you know?"  
  
"These days *everyone* wants   
to know about him. Ever since   
he disappeared..."  
  
The look on her face was absolutely priceless.  
  
"He's gone?!"  
  
Nicholas nodded. She must have come from   
somewhere *really* out of touch if  
she hadn't heard about this until now.  
  
"Just up and vanished somewhere among   
the Rim systems a couple months ago.   
Nobody's seen a trace of him since.  
Not even his friends, and if *they*   
don't know then it's a pretty safe bet   
that Saotome doesn't want to be found."  
  
Seeing that Sun was still stunned by the news,   
he tried to clarify his words.  
  
"Not that I can blame him. That poor guy   
has got so many death warrants on his neck   
that even if they ever catch him, they'll   
never be able to agree on how to execute him.  
He's probably just taking a vacation away from   
it all. I know I would if I were in his shoes."  
  
"Death warrents?!"  
  
He was just about to answer her when all   
conversation inside the bar came to an   
abrupt halt.   
  
The Guide had been waiting patiently behind the   
pair as they conversed, wanting them to finish   
quickly so that they could pay him and he could   
get out of there.  
  
He turned to see what was the trouble   
while praying that nothing was wrong.   
  
Then he froze as his eyes went wide  
at the sight of someone he had always   
hoped never to see in person.   
  
"Oh shit, not him!"  
  
~~~~~~  
-The Scales turn...  
  
Against all the odds, White had somehow   
managed to rally and now stood poised on   
the brink of total victory.   
  
His forces had been scattered across the board,  
and were now left in a last ditch defense that   
was just waiting to be swept away.   
  
"It seems that I underestimated you yet again."  
  
His opponent had been very cunning in utilizing   
Ranma to cover a devastating counter offensive.  
It was amazing how much trouble even a replica   
of that boy could do.   
  
Thoth contemplated Black's next move, his long  
fingers dangling over one of his few remaining   
pieces as he searched for a way to at least   
make his opponent pay a heavy price for victory.   
  
{So few options left...}  
  
"But wait...what's this?"  
  
An opening? Yes, there was a single avenue   
of attack offered...There!  
  
His dark knight struck down White's   
defender like an angry bird of prey.  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
The repercussions would soon be   
felt throughout the Multiverse.  
  
Things were never going to be the same.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Rismoth System  
  
Tania had been half-right. That transmission *had* been   
purposely sent. But there were no hidden messages contained   
within it, the transmission itself *was* the message.  
  
In an asteroid belt similar to the one that   
had hidden the Rebel invasion force from   
detection, the signal that the Untamed   
Stallion's sensors had briefly picked up   
was finally received.  
  
Communication lasers quickly spread the word   
to others waiting impatiently behind the   
shielding asteroids.  
  
It was time.  
  
-To be continued...  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1)For those of you who are wondering;   
Yes, he *did* actually collide into one before.   
It was an Impstar II. (Imperial class II, 1.6 km in length. Ouch!)   
  
(2) Translates as: "By the stones"   
Bonus points for anyone who gets this reference  



	23. Chapter 3 Finale: ...The Season of Darkn...

He dreamed.   
  
And remembered...  
  
----  
-Shadows From The Past  
  
"...That's it lad. Never let your guard down.  
Always remember, you'll find few friends and   
far too many enemies on the path you've chosen.   
You can't *ever* afford the luxury of believing   
you're safe."  
  
"Hai, Conner-sensei. I'll figure   
out a way to counter your techniques  
one of these days, just you wait   
and see!"  
  
The indignant mock glare he shot at  
his teacher and friend caused Conner  
to chuckle in rueful amusement.   
Although there was no malice in his  
student's words there was no mistaking  
the very real determination behind them.  
  
"I'm sure you will, Ranma."  
  
The older man offered a hand to his student   
who was sprawled painfully on the cracked and   
blackened earth. The morning's training had gone   
well. The boy was finally starting to hold his own   
against his teacher's straightforward and relentless   
combat style after only a few months, truly astonishing  
for one so young.   
  
"Yes, I've no doubt that one day you will."  
  
The two of them rose from the ground and hovered   
briefly in midair as they reoriented themselves   
toward the direction of their camp. As always   
Conner was amazed at the uncanny affinity his   
apprentice had for the sky, it seemed to come   
to him as naturally as breathing.   
  
But the wily old man had a few tricks here too.  
  
"Ready for your next lesson?"  
  
In response Ranma groaned halfheartedly.  
He knew what was coming and it wasn't   
going to be pretty. And he used to think  
*Genma* had been a tough teacher!  
  
"Alright, but this time we stick to sub-sonic!"  
  
"Complain, complain. A real man   
would try to overcome his limitations."  
  
The young CosmoKnight snorted rudely.  
He wasn't falling for that one again!  
  
"So says the one who can break Mach 10   
without even breaking a sweat."  
  
Conner just looked faintly amused.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
Resigned to the inevitable,  
Ranma nodded reluctantly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"One for the money, Two for the show,  
Three to get ready, and Four to..."  
  
Zip. Zoom. Zing.  
  
"..go!"  
  
Both went from a cold start to over 900 mph   
before he even finished. Only the fact that  
Ranma had been expecting exactly this sort of   
behavior from his sneaky sensei gave him any   
chance at all. It was a race of skill as much   
as speed, their positions were only a few meters  
from the ground itself and the countless canyons  
and numerous rocky outcroppings made it a challange   
to avoid running into anything. Although it wouldn't  
actually hurt either of them too much, it would serve   
to slow them down and they were already neck and neck   
as it was.  
  
But that was also what made this so much fun.  
  
For the rest of his life Ranma would   
remember this all too brief time as   
the first where he had ever been truly   
happy since arriving in this strange   
dimension. Perhaps because now there  
were others like him and here he was   
no longer alone.  
  
But the peace wasn't destined to last.  
  
All too soon, the horror found its way here.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: It's the disclaimer that never ends,   
It just goes on and on my friends,   
Yes, it's the disclaimer that will never end,  
Going on and on till your brain goes insane,  
It's the disclaimer that never ends-*BLAM* *BLAM* *BLAM*  
  
"Got lamb?"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Eclipse  
  
*Click* "Whirrrr"  
  
Stop. Rewind. Play.  
  
The watcher's cold eyes studied the scene   
again, he had been doing little else for   
the past three days.   
  
Scientists, technicians and soldiers all   
hurried about behind him. The massive   
fortress was a bustle of excited activity,  
but the watcher paid them no heed. All of   
them were less then worms to him, to be   
extingished at a whim when their usefulness   
finally came to an end.  
  
*Click* "Whirrrr"  
  
Stop. Rewind. Play.  
  
It had taken nearly a week for his operatives   
to recover the data stored in the cybernetic  
spy-drone, partly because the person who'd  
attracted his interest had also been   
responsible for taking out several of his   
best agents.  
  
But when it's memory had been finally decrypted,  
the results recorded inside had exceeded his   
wildest expectations.   
  
*Click* "Whirrrr"  
  
Stop. Rewind. Play.  
  
The crucial scene played out before him once more...  
  
Sagat, the former Thai kickboxing champion,   
executed his deadly Tiger Uppercut perfectly.   
  
There were few fighters that could ever hope to   
avoid such a powerful blow even had they known it   
was coming. With the element of surprise on his   
side it should have been all but impossible for   
anyone to dodge, let alone counter.  
  
But that was not how it played out.  
  
His opponent seemed to 'shift' position in mid-jump,   
slowing his descent at the very moment Sagat began   
his attack and turning impossibly to the side,   
avoiding the strike by mere centimeters.  
  
Then the youth's leg flashed up and out once,   
coming down on Sagat's collarbone in a   
devastating axe kick. His coordination and   
flexibility defied both the laws of gravity   
and physics. As for his strength...  
  
The kickboxer went crashing down into the   
mud with all the grace of a load of bricks.   
  
One arm lay twisted and broken in the muck while   
his single good eye lolled about in unconsciousness.  
  
Medical facilities would later report that nearly   
three quarters of the bones in his body appeared   
to have broken on impact.  
  
A leer that was not entirely sane seemed to have  
become permanently affixed to the watcher's face.  
  
Such deliciously brutal power.  
  
Power that would soon belong to its rightful master.  
  
Bison.  
  
*Click* "Whirrrr"  
  
Stop. Rewind. Play.  
  
~~~~~~~  
Chapter 3 Finale: ...The Season of Darkness  
~~~~~~~  
  
-Ill Tidings  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Katrina gave the guide a look of concern.  
  
Nick was the one who answered her.  
  
"It's a Naruni Repo-bot. And that particular   
model is Kehal Ridge, one of Naruni Enterprise's   
top assassins."  
  
"I take it that he doesn't   
usually enter this establishment?"  
  
He almost cracked a smile. Almost.  
  
"Damn right. That walking arsenal of death   
never hangs around places like this. Only   
reason that he'd come here would be if he's   
looking for something."  
  
A disturbing thought came to Sun.  
  
"Or someone."  
  
Croaker nodded, but his eyes never strayed   
an inch from the dangerous cyborg.  
  
Katrina's companions weren't the only ones   
in the bar unnerved by the presence of the   
notorious assassin.   
  
Chairs shifted uneasily as uneasy patrons moved   
their hands closer to various concealed blasters and   
other weapons while sliding back just enough from   
their tables so that it wouldn't get in their way   
should they suddenly find the need to take cover.   
  
But none of them was stupid enough to try and make   
the first move. Repo-bots were feared for a very   
good reason, they were state of the art killing   
machines outfitted with the most advanced offensive  
and defensive systems that Naruni Enterprises had to   
offer. The regular Class I A.P.E. (All Purpose Elimination)  
models were a match for an entire squadron of power armors.   
  
Kehal Ridge was a Class II A.S.S.I.S.T. (Advanced Strategic   
Stealth Interrogation & Sabotage Type), a design that was   
*far* superior to the Class I. Although the exact details of   
his armament and defenses remained mere speculation and rumor,   
it *was* known that Ridge had once killed two Mature Adult   
Great Horned Dragons singlehandedly for defaulting on payments   
to Naruni Enterprises.   
  
Any sentient being unlucky enough to have attracted his  
attention here was to be pitied...from a safe distance away  
(preferably another planet if possible).  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Run, Do Not Walk, To The Nearest Starship!  
  
Sophisticated thermal sensors picked out the Fealnach's   
image from the rest of the crowd almost immediately.   
When agitated the body temperature of the pathetic scum   
nearly doubled, making them easy prey when one was   
searching for information. It also helped that the vermin   
were spineless cowards, having evolved to sentience from   
a species of Eurycotis.  
  
Ridge took the most direct route toward his target,  
ignoring the wild scramble that took place as various   
terrified individuals scrambled to get out of his way.  
  
While the Repo-bot paid no attention to the rabble,  
his onboard combat computer was tracking every   
movement with a watchfulness that bordered on   
paranoia. Over half a dozen concealed weapon   
systems waited on hair triggers for even the   
slightest hint of a potential threat.   
  
Kehal had not survived seven hundred years   
of corporate infighting by being careless.  
  
Especially now, as he attempted to pick up the   
trail of one the most dangerous individuals in   
the galaxy. If that wasn't enough to make   
him more cautious than usual, Naruni Enterprises'   
Black Op files had also revealed that he wasn't   
the first representative to be sent out after   
this particular troublemaker.  
  
Three full teams, including four fellow ASSIST   
Repo-bots had been dispatched in the past year.   
All of them had been wiped out down to the last   
agent. Ridge had no intention of sharing their   
fate.  
  
With calculated force one heavily armored arm   
slammed down on a table to corner the cowering   
Nach.  
  
"I require some information in your possession."  
  
"Anything! Just please don't kill me!!"  
  
It was almost amazing how effective a properly worded   
request combined with the right amount of tactical   
demonstration was at getting the desired results from   
such a normally unhelpful source.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Check Please!  
  
"Time to go."  
  
As much as she would have liked   
to disagree with Nicholas, Light  
couldn't refute the logic of his  
words. The longer they stayed here,  
the more likely it was that the RepoBot  
would identify either herself or her  
Rebel contact, although she had no  
recollections of ever having dealt  
with Naruni before, something in her   
head warned the Leyline Walker to be  
careful around them. The guide had   
already made tracks, no payment was   
worth his life.  
  
"Agreed, is there a back way out of here?"  
  
Nick rolled his eyes despite   
the seriousness of their situation.  
  
"This is a respectable Spacer Bar.  
Of course there's alternate exits   
to slip out of."  
  
Kat grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Silly me."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Shades of Starlight  
  
A figure half-hidden in the farthest   
corner of the room dumped a few   
cred chits on his table as he abandoned   
both it and his untouched drink in favor   
of following after the two who had just   
left.   
  
His prey had always favored females with spirit,   
it seemed that his patience had finally paid off   
this time.   
  
What might have been a twisted parody of a smile   
passed beneath the watcher's ragged hood.   
  
"Soon Saotome...my revenge against you   
and your master will be complete."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Dispatched  
  
"Apepi, Anhur. You know what to do."  
  
From the shadow of his throne came  
a beastial roar of acknowledgment.  
  
"Raagghh! By your leave, Lord Set."  
  
On the other side materialized a large   
figure dressed in warrior's garb.  
  
"..."  
  
The Jackel God's eyes were cold chips of black ice.  
  
"Do not fail me."  
  
Diamond hard scales scraped harshly against  
the obsidian floor. The monstrous form trembled  
from the effort it took to restrain its natural   
instinct for blood and death.   
  
"Shrissshhh. We go."  
  
"..."  
  
Assassin and beast vanished into the darkness.  
  
Alone once more, Set's animalistic features   
turned savage as he clasped his fingers together.  
  
{How can a mere mortal manage to evade my   
loyal followers at every turn for so long?!}  
  
It was a question that had frustrated him for years.  
His minions had been hunting what seemed the human   
equivalent of smoke. The boy always seemd to be on   
the move, never staying in any one place long enough   
to be identified and terminated. By the time most   
bounty hunters or assassins learned of his presence   
he was usually already long gone, leaving nothing but   
chaos in his wake. To this end, he had been forced to  
send his two best killers out on the cold trail.  
  
In a way, the diabolic fiend was almost envious of   
Ranma's affinity for destruction. Thanks to the hero's   
interference many of the evil deity's rivals and even   
his allies were now at each other's throats. To be   
outdone in trickery and bedevilment by such a lesser being,   
it was an insult that simply could not be tolerated.  
  
{You will never escape me, Saotome. Even if   
it takes a thousand years, you will pay...}  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Things Can *Always* Get Worse  
  
It was a somber group of Senshi that   
met in the Cherry Hill Temple. Today   
hadn't been one of their better showings,  
they'd been caught with their tactical   
pants down around their ankles.   
  
Worse, innocent civilians had nearly paid   
the price for their screw up. And screw up  
they had, big time. Not since first accepting  
the responsibility of being Sailor Senshi had   
they ever done so poorly against the enemy.  
The majority of the Inners had had their   
collective Sailor butts handed to them on  
a silver platter by a foe they'd thought long   
vanquished. The Outers weren't in any position  
to boast either, especially seeing as they'd   
done a fair job of mucking things up themselves.  
  
It would have been embarassing if the situation   
hadn't been so serious, instead it was terrifying.  
  
But of even more pressing concern for the   
girls was this mysterious new element that   
had entered the field.  
  
"He's strong."  
  
Makoto started the ball rolling,  
for once temporarily pushing aside  
her love-starved romantic side in  
favor of a more necessary tactical  
objectivity. It wasn't much fun,  
but given how close things had   
gotten today she wasn't about to   
start complaining now.  
  
She wasn't *always* obsessed with finding a man.  
  
Really. Why would I lie?  
  
"He seems to possess exceptional offensive   
and defensive tactics, suggesting that he   
also possesses an above average intelligence   
as well as some prior knowledge about the  
enemy."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Everyone sweatdropped and stared at   
the now blushing blue haired girl.  
  
"Um, he's a good fighter and he's   
probably done this kind of thing before."  
  
"Oh!"  
  
Trust Ami to make a   
GIANT understatement!  
  
"Sneaky."  
  
This came from Micheru as she shot a   
rueful look towards her partner and   
fellow Outer. The disgusting goo had  
finally evaperated from them both some  
time ago, but not even a through   
scrubbing had managed to completely   
dispel the clinging aroma of sun-spoiled   
vegetation.  
  
"Not to mention fast."  
  
Haruka's eyes narrowed as she  
replayed the fight in her head   
again. She was the quickest one  
in the group and he had still  
run rings around her without  
even half trying.   
  
"He's trouble."  
  
Setsuna finished with a sharp snap   
of finality. She pointedly refused   
to meet the curious eyes of the   
other girls.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hot. So very hot.   
  
Other presences nearby.  
  
Strangers.   
  
Need to rest.   
  
Tired, just tired.   
  
No, something's wrong.   
  
Where am I...  
  
-----  
-Old Wounds  
  
The ancient Cosmoknight had never had   
a student demonstrate such promise before,   
the young man absorbed in hours what normally  
took weeks or even months to instill into   
other beginning Knights. He had already   
passed on several lifetimes worth of   
knowledge to him, not all of it having  
to do with battle. The seeds of the past  
would indeed be carried into the future.  
  
Yet Conner also knew that their time together   
as master and apprentice was fast coming   
to an end. Ranma's place was not here.   
They each had a duty to fulfill, one   
that neither of them would ever shirk.   
Such was the fate of the Cosmoknight.  
  
That fact saddened him. For he suspected   
that their paths would never cross again.  
  
"Brooding again?"  
  
The teasing voice of his lifemate was   
a welcome interruption from his gloomy   
line of thought.   
  
He looked up in time to see his wife   
descend a few meters in front of him.   
Her armor flashed out of existence to   
be replaced by her favored mode of dress,   
tight jeans and t-shirt. Although physically   
appearing to be only a petite little flame   
redhead in her early 30's, Sarah Hawthorne   
was only a few centuries younger then her husband.   
  
The relative difference in age mattered nothing  
to either of them, their feelings for each other   
had lasted through thick and thin for more then   
ten thousand generations.  
  
Although such unions were rare, they were not unheard of.  
  
Immortality all too often proved to be a lonely fate,  
and even the CosmoKnights were not immune to love.  
But only with an equally long lived spouse was there  
any real hope of sustaining such a relationship.  
  
Conner had been one of the lucky ones.  
  
His partner understood him, accepted   
where his duties lay as he did with hers.  
Theirs had been a true matching of hearts.  
  
{Beloved, I was never truly alive until I met you.}   
  
A rare smile found its way to his face.  
  
"Ah ha! I bet you're thinking about something kinky!"  
  
Conner fought against the blush   
that threatened to swamp over him.  
He *still* hadn't quite gotten used   
to her occasional bawdy remarks,   
something she delighted to rib   
him about whenver an opening arose.  
  
Then he noticed that someone was missing.  
  
"Where's the young lad?"  
  
She smiled back with just a hint   
of mischief in her expression.  
  
"He's resting."  
  
The old Knight raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Do you always have to keep knocking   
him unconscious when you're training?"  
  
Sarah punched him lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"You're a fine one to talk."  
  
She started snuggling up against him,  
and for a moment Conner had his hands   
full trying to keep her out of all sorts of   
interesting but also highly inappropriate   
places. Not that he was trying very hard,   
but it wouldn't do much for his dignity   
if Saotome were to suddenly fly up just   
in time to see his teachers rolling around   
in the grass like a pair of hormone crazy   
teenagers.  
  
"Meanie!"  
  
"Oh hush. What if the boy were to see us?"  
  
"Pooh! It'll be at least another fifteen   
minutes before he's even able to think about   
getting up."  
  
He winced inwardly. Sarah never exaggerated  
when it came to assessing things like that.  
Of course the amount of injury needed to be  
bio-regenerated for that long a time would   
have to be...  
  
{Ouch. I'd better get some caffe ready for  
when he gets back. I suspect my poor student  
is going to need it!}  
  
"Ranma is something though, isn't he."  
  
Surprised by her sudden change   
in topic he let her curl up close   
alongside him.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
His wife looked thoughtful as she tried  
to phrase what she had sensed during   
their training together into words.  
  
"He has the gift...I've never seen it so strong in one of us before."  
  
Conner's eyes grew troubled, the concerns  
he had kept hidden from his eager pupil   
now coming to the fore.  
  
"I have. Once."  
  
Unbidden, the memory arose of another time so very   
long ago, when there had been another young man that   
the Forge had held equally high hopes for. One of   
their greatest, whom they had believed was the   
one intended to fulfill the prophecy of the First Ones.   
  
They had all been wrong. So terribly wrong.  
  
{We should have seen the signs. But our hopes  
blinded us to the truth until it was too late.}  
  
That mistake had nearly destroyed the Cosmoknights   
and everything they stood for. And even worse,   
it created their most terrible foe, the Ravager.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Painful Decisions  
  
"He's still burning up! Belldandy   
there has to be *something* we can do!!"  
  
Urd had never felt so helpless before.  
For all her power, healing wasn't her   
forte and she could only watch as   
convulsion after painful convulsion   
rocked her rescuer's fevered body.   
Blood trickled sluggishly from where   
the wrappings around his chest had   
come loose, and the deep wounds   
stubbornly refused to clot on their   
own.   
  
"I've done what I can, Urd.   
His wounds are too severe for   
my simple healing spells and   
anything stronger in his weakened  
condition will almost certainly   
kill him."  
  
The younger goddess looked exhausted,  
the past several hours had not been   
kind to her. Despite her best efforts  
the young man's vital signs continued  
to deteriorate at an alarming rate.  
  
It was almost as if his body was trying   
to *voluntarily* shut itself down. Every  
bit of magic she'd tried to use to stabilize   
his lifeforce had been savagely rejected by   
his body, almost as if it didn't recognize  
that she was trying to heal him. This made   
no sense at all. She knew exactly what was   
necessary to treat a human thanks to Keiichi,   
but this time it wasn't working.  
  
{What's wrong with him?}  
  
~~~~~  
  
His body fought against the alien forces  
interfering with the healing trance even  
as his mind battled the ghostly phantoms  
of days long gone...  
  
-----  
-Reap The Hurricane  
  
Defeated. Again.  
  
"He did it to me again!"  
  
This was starting to get repetitious.  
  
"Damn it! It's going to take  
forever to clean this mess up."  
  
He hated to lose.  
  
"Peel *how many* potatoes?!"  
  
Scratch that. What he *really* hated was   
getting stuck with all the chores as a   
result of losing.  
  
"More fire wood?!! Are we planning on   
starting our own little forest fire or  
something?!"  
  
At least it served as good motivation   
to do better the next time.  
  
And he was learning. Slower then he liked   
and much too painful even for his taste,   
but he was definitely starting to make   
some progress.  
  
"Ow...*note to self*,   
'When your instructers tell you not   
to overdue it, listen to them!!'"  
  
Of course Ranma Saotome had never   
been known for his sense of patience.  
He knew that it wasn't their fault. But   
it was just so incredibly frustrating,  
after more then a decade of martial arts   
training he had to start over and learn   
everything again from the basics up.   
  
It sucked, but he didn't have any other   
choice. He was more of a danger to himself   
right now then to any enemy.   
  
Normally most fledgling Knights had little trouble   
adjusting to their new status, but the problem was   
that Saotome had been *too* good a martial artist   
before his transformation into a CosmoKnight.   
  
While his new body was taller, stronger, faster,   
tougher, and better in every way over his original   
one, the newly added height and weight had initially   
left him feeling gangly and awkward. His center   
of gravity had shifted, making even the simplest   
of techniques problematic at first. All of his   
reflexes had been completely out of synch,   
unbalanced by the sudden changes in reach   
and spacial position.  
  
What had made him a master of the Art  
wasn't mere strength or speed, it had   
been knowing, not assuming, but *knowing*   
his entire body was in state of perfectly   
balanced harmony. Ranma had spent almost   
his entire life training in order to   
achieve that extraordinary level of   
self awareness.   
  
And then he had lost it all in a single night.  
  
It had been hard, suddenly being reduced to  
the martial arts level of a rank beginner.  
Even now his skill was still only a fraction  
of what they had been before. All this power,  
so much he could actually feel it flowing   
through his veins, and it was totally useless   
because he couldn't use it properly yet!  
  
There were some battles that could be won  
through sheer brute force alone. But not   
against opponents of Conner and Sarah's   
caliber. They had quickly proven that   
from his very first day with them.  
  
Conner's fighting philosophy   
consisted of only three things.  
  
Hit Hard.   
  
Hit Fast.   
  
And Don't Stop Till You're Standing And They're Not.  
  
Simple, but effective.  
  
Unfortunately for Ranma, the old man was   
very, *very* good at practicing what he   
preached. He also believed in what Saotome  
privately referred to as "The Genma Style   
School of Hard Knocks as the Best Teacher".  
  
Needless to say, while this approach did   
indeed work, more often then not it also  
left the young man lying flat on his back   
for hours at a time waiting for broken   
bones and torn muscles to regenerate.  
  
Conner didn't believe in   
pulling his punches...much.  
  
Sarah was even worse (or better,   
depending on your point of view).   
While nowhere near as strong as her   
husband, the lady was unbelievably   
fast. She might not hit as hard   
as his other teacher, but she was   
able to get in twice as many attacks  
in only a quarter of the time.  
  
Ranma now knew how Wile E.   
Coyote felt when facing the   
Roadrunner.   
  
Her 'Starlight Dancer' technique   
made him feel like he was standing   
still in comparison.  
  
For the first time in his life he   
faced someone who's reflexes were   
even better then his own.   
  
Put mildly, it wasn't a pleasant experience.  
  
On a good day he might, just *might* last   
more then 10 minutes. On a not so good day,   
he was sucking turf before he even realized   
that she'd begun to move. At least he was  
learning not to blink during a fight.  
  
{I suppose it's not really fair to blame them.  
They've both got more combat experience under   
their belts then anyone I've ever met. Heck,  
Conner was talking about fighting in the First  
Anvil Horde War, and that was over two hundred   
THOUSAND years ago!}  
  
It was more then a little intimidating,  
being in the company of individuals who  
were older then certain *civilizations*.  
  
{I'd love to know how they deal with that   
kinda stuff. It makes my blood run cold   
just trying to imagine living a fraction   
as long as they have. What must it be  
like for them, having seen and done so   
much? Where do they find the strength   
to keep on going like they have?}  
  
A shadow appeared overhead,   
blocking the warmth of the   
orange sun.  
  
It was followed by a perky cheerful   
voice he was beginning to dread hearing.  
  
"Breaks over, bucko! Up and at 'em."  
  
Ranma winced. She and Conner must have  
had quite a night if that vixenish smile  
was any indication. He was going to be   
in for a whole 'nother world of pain shortly,  
he had noticed that Sarah was always more   
energetic the day after *that*.  
  
{Why me?}  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Fools and Folly  
  
"Damn you Saotome..."  
  
As Ryoga Hibiki trudged through yet another   
thick and twisted forest that his lousy sense   
of direction seemed to always inevitably lead him   
he remembered once again the events that were   
responsible for his bitter and twisted mission   
of vengence. It had all started back in junior high.  
  
He had been the strongest.  
  
Unable to navigate any distance greater   
then what he could see in front of him,  
but still the strongest boy in the entire   
district.  
  
The IQ of a rusty doorknob, but still no one   
had dared to laugh at him. Because they had   
known what would happen to them if they did.  
  
He had commanded respect back then.   
Even if that respect had come from   
fear, it had been enough.  
  
And Ranma took it all away from him.  
  
---(Become One With The Flashback)---  
  
Welcome to the Kyoto Academy for Boys,  
one would be hardpressed to find a more   
wretched hive of scum and villainy.  
  
"That bread is mine!!"  
  
Young Ryoga Hibiki leaped for the   
prized last curry bread of the day.  
  
Although the other boys jostled and   
quarreled among themselves like a pack  
of wolves at the lunchcounter, all of   
them made sure to give him a wide berth.  
  
All of them except for one.  
  
The new kid had just arrived   
that very morning. At first glance  
he seemed to be nothing special,  
except for the sissy little pigtail.  
  
Ryoga had dismissed him almost immediately  
as being beneath his notice and the other  
students had quickly followed his example   
and ignored this "Ra-something" character.   
So far all the newcomer had done was watch   
everything around him with a wide eyed   
fascination, almost as if the dummy never   
been in such civilized surroundings before.  
  
Fangs bared in a predatory grin of   
anticipation as he closed in on the prize.  
  
*BONK*  
  
A sudden weight on his head pushed his face  
down at a sharp angle, pain erupted from his   
neck as it protested this unexpected change   
in its workload. Then the heaviness on his head   
disappeared and Hibiki found himself plummeting   
toward the cafeteria floor.  
  
*SPLAT*  
  
Unable to comprehend what had happened to him   
at first, all he had been able to do was lift   
his head and stare in disbelief at the person   
responsible for this humilation.  
  
It was that scawny snot-nosed little punk!  
  
Even as he watched, that bastard *smirked*  
at him and took a bite from what was supposed   
to be *his* curry bread!  
  
Worse, he could hear the whispers passing among   
the other students about his defeat. He wasn't  
someone to be taken seriously anymore, "see how   
easily that little guy kicked the mighty Hibiki's   
ass".  
  
It was starting...  
  
The laughter, that hated laughter!!  
  
NO!!!  
  
Nobody mocked him! Nobody!!  
  
{I'm going to crush him!! It's all *his* fault!!}  
  
But first he needed to know his opponent's identity.  
Only then would he obtain total satisfaction  
when he finally beat the runt into a bloody pulp.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
Then came the words that would haunt   
his nightmares for years to come.  
  
"I'm Ranma, Ranma Saotome."  
  
That *name*, that disgusting,   
vile source of all his misfortune!!  
  
In that moment Ryoga realized   
that he had met his mortal enemy.  
  
"Ranma Saotome, I will NEVER forget this offense of the Curry Bread!!"  
  
'But things didn't work out that way, did they?'  
  
He had spent two weeks fruitlessly searching for   
the Saotome boy, two weeks lost in places like  
Yokohama and Hikaido. By the time he finally got   
back it was lunch again. Deciding that his enemy  
must have chickened out by now, he put aside his   
search temporarily in favor of getting the last   
melon bread of the day.  
  
But that wretched Saotome...  
  
"I will NEVER forget this offense of the Melon Bread!!"  
  
And two weeks later...  
  
"I will NEVER forget this offense of the Meat Bread!!"  
  
Again.  
  
"I will NEVER forget this offense of the Cutlet Bread!!"  
  
And again.  
  
"I will NEVER forget this offense of the Noodle Bread!!"  
  
'And every time he still beat you no matter how hard you tried.'  
  
Ranma made his life a living HELL!  
  
Finally Ryoga just couldn't take it anymore.   
  
He had challenged his archnemesis to  
a duel in the lot behind his house.  
  
But when he finally arrived on the fourth day...  
  
All he found was a note.  
  
[Waited three days for you to show up.   
Couldn't delay anymore, me and Pop are  
going to China. Guess this means I win.   
-Ranma ^_^  
  
P.S. No hard feelings.]  
  
And this time nothing could silence the   
contempt of his peers. The entire school   
had known about his appointed duel with   
Saotome. His reign of terror among them   
had been broken. Now they branded him a coward,   
an outcast, not a man but a lowly crawling   
worm to be shunned by all.  
  
'Yes, Ranma destroyed your life. If he hadn't   
run away you would have crushed him like an ant  
and regained the respect of the other boys.'  
  
It was Saotome who was the coward!   
Ranma was the one who ran away from him!!  
If Saotome was dead then all of this  
humilation would go away!!  
  
And so Ryoga vowed then and there that he   
would spend the rest of his life to hunt   
down and destroy his enemy! Only after   
he had torn Ranma Saotome limb from limb   
would his destined future happiness be   
assured!!   
  
---(Let Go Of The Flashback Already!)---  
  
'Together we can put an end to Ranma.'  
  
"Yeah! Hey, wait a minute!!"  
  
He wasn't going crazy after all! There   
really had been a voice talking inside   
of his head all this time!  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?!!"  
  
'An ally who can make you   
powerful beyond your wildest   
dreams.'  
  
"GET OUTTA OF MY HEAD!! I'LL KILL YOU!!"  
  
The voice abruptly went silent.  
  
Ryoga grinned evilly, believing   
he had scared away the teasing  
woman that had been speaking   
inside his twisted little mind.  
  
From inside his shadow, the diabolical   
image of Pantha Zo'a smiled as well.  
  
~~~~~  
-Pass the Sake  
  
From her current base of operations a slightly   
scorched Demoness (1st class, unlimited) polished   
off another bottle of sake. It joined a growing   
hill of empty bottles as she attempted to dull   
the extra crispy treatment she'd gotten when the   
building she'd been spying from had gone up like   
a gasoline soaked match thanks to that crazy   
Sailor psycho.   
  
{And to think that people call *us* violent. Sheesh!}  
  
Unfortunately there were some drawbacks to this place.  
  
"Hey! Are you going to just sit around and get drunk?!"  
  
Number one being the building's owner, Sayoko Mishima.  
  
Mara didn't need this, with today's plans blown   
up in her face all she wanted to do right now   
was get good and drunk. Besides which her head hurt.  
  
"Not sho' loud!!"  
  
"Kami-sama! You look like you've   
gone through a garbage incinerator!!"  
  
She winced. When was that damn girl going   
to remember not to use the "K-word" around   
her?  
  
"Jus' a lil' scratch. A'l be *hic* fa'n."  
  
It looked like her treatment was finally working.  
  
{Well Mara ol' girl, looks like it's   
back to the drawing board. I do hope  
they didn't kill him.}  
  
Surprisingly the demoness found that she   
actually meant that. Even if she was one   
of the bad guys it didn't mean she got her   
kicks by torturing people, at least not in   
the physical sense. Messing around with their   
heads and causing mischief was fun and all,   
but even *she* had her limits. If she'd   
known those nutcases were actually going   
fry him instead of just kicking him around   
a little bit Mara would have dropped the entire  
plan and just made her offer to him in person.  
  
"At leash then I'd a ha've a dinner date inshtead   
of being stuck in the ol' witch's place."  
  
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!!"  
  
Oh hell. This was just not her day.  
  
~~~~~  
-Imperial Battle Cruiser "Dark Impaler"  
  
"My lord, we have arrived at our destination."  
  
"Excellent. Prepare my shuttle and two wings  
of Intercepters immediately."  
  
"As you command."  
  
The aide turned and left at a quick trot, you did  
*not* run in the Ironclaw's presence. And it had   
only taken 34 aides to get that point across to   
the survivors.   
  
[This is a waste of time!]  
  
Jarenz didn't need to turn to   
know who dared to question his  
strategem. There was only one   
soul aboard that could get away   
with such insolence without fear   
of instant retaliation.  
  
His Rune Weapon, Infernal Retribution.  
  
Although the emity between Jarenz and Saotome   
was fierce, it paled in comparison to the   
state of overwhelming hostility that existed   
between their respective Rune Weapons.  
  
Ironclaw's Impaler contained the soul of   
Volsai Lezlod, a vile being which had once   
been one of the most feared Demodand Princes   
in Tarterus. Ironically, Volsai's downfull   
and subsequent enslavement had been the result  
of losing a powerful artifact he had coveted,   
known as the Crystal Shard.   
  
Volsai and Ishtar *HATED* each other   
beyond all reason, and their feelings   
toward their adversary's owner were   
only slightly less volatile. This mutual   
enmity was partially due to the fact   
that they had been old enemies long   
before becoming entrapped within the   
Weapons that now housed their souls.  
  
In fact, it had been Ishtar who was responsible for   
thwarting Volsai's possession of the Shard, banishing   
the evil device to the Etheral Plane in hopes that it   
might be lost within the eternal mists for all time.   
  
Her plans ultimately failed in the end,   
but not before leading to Lezlod's downfall.  
  
He had never forgotten that.   
  
The Impaler had been obsessed   
with finding a way to destroy   
its most hated enemy once and   
for all. It took centuries of   
waiting and scheming, but the   
hateful soul finally found a   
way to strike back at her.  
  
It had been Volsai who directed the   
attentions of the Splugorth toward Ishtar,   
setting off the chain of events that had   
led directly to her capture and imprisonment   
inside the artifact known as the "Key".  
  
To this day the fiend was still trying to  
find a way to truly get rid of its most   
hated enemy once and for all.  
  
[I want to frag that bitch   
and her puke faced protecter!  
Rip them to pieces!! Tear out   
their still beating hearts and   
eat their livers!!]  
  
"Patience Volsai, we shall   
deal with them both soon enough."  
  
In the contest of wills Jarenz was  
always the victor. He ruthlessly   
quashed Lezlod's attempts to try   
and assume control of their bonding.   
  
Ironclaw was the absolute master of his domain.   
  
That was always the way of things.  
  
{You've hidden yourself well this time, Saotome.  
My spies have not discovered anything so far,   
nor do I expect them to. To evade even the eyes   
of Imperial Intelligence requires assistance of   
a considerable level, beyond even that of your   
most powerful allies. The question then is how  
did you manage to get this aid?}  
  
With the failure of conventional resources   
of information he was now forced to resort to   
alternative means in order to secure badly   
needed intelligence on his old foe.   
  
Time was working against him. There were   
already far too many others also searching   
for Ranma. Sooner or later one of them might   
get lucky, and he could not allow that!   
  
Saotome was *HIS* to defeat!!  
  
{Now we shall see if the Delphian Oracles  
are truly as learned as their reputation  
indicates.}  
  
~~~~~~  
-Falling Star  
  
He was enjoying a rare afternoon   
off from his nearly constant scheduale   
of training when the first signs of   
catastrophe made themselves known.  
  
{I gotta admit, this planet may be   
dull as dirt but the sunsets are   
so gorgeous that they almost make   
up for it.}  
  
Lying back against one the short   
and stubby blue trees that made up   
the majority of the native foliage   
here, Ranma was amusing himself with   
an old child's game he had used to   
play during that lonely training trip   
with his father.  
  
{That cloud looks like a okonomiyaki  
with all the trimmings. And that bunch   
of mountains over there reminds me of   
those dumplings on Gemini II.   
Boy, those were great!}   
  
(Somewhere a cow moos.)  
  
...  
  
...Well let's see you try and come up with   
something better when *Genma* Saotome was   
the only adult responsible for most of your   
upbringing!  
  
The fledgling Knight had just identified a  
full six course dinner using just the sun  
and a barely visible sea to the west when   
a shooting star caught his eye.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
Intellectually he knew it wasn't really a star,  
most likely it was just some random space trash   
that had been caught in the planet's gravity   
well and on its way to burn up in the upper   
atmosphere. Amazing what a little *enforced*   
learning could do for a guy who'd never even   
had a chance to properly attend school his   
entire life.  
  
Idly he tracked the object's descent, trying   
to gauge its mass and velocity in order to   
guess how long it would take to flare out.  
Judging from the size and dark purple glow   
he didn't think it would be very long at all.  
  
{Five minutes. Six tops.}  
  
Then all of a sudden it changed course.  
  
"What the?!!"  
  
That wasn't a metorite!   
  
"Oh geez, Sarah and Conner are   
going to want to know about this!"  
  
{So much for my night off.}  
  
Choosing discretion over speed,  
Ranma fixed the object's current   
heading into his memory and then  
started jogging back toward the   
camp at a respectable 200 mph.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Shattered Trust  
  
"Team 2 report! Respond,   
damn it!! That's an order!!"  
  
General Skythe glared impotently   
at his silent wristcom. Something  
was very wrong here, and his people  
were caught square in the middle of it.  
  
{Someone gets to the governor first,   
and now the entire command net is  
down. Coincidence, or is there   
something else going on behind   
them both?}  
  
His gut was telling him it was   
the latter. It was just too neat.  
The communications network was of  
Alliance design, featuring numerous  
safeguards and redundant backups   
to prevent just such a blackout.  
  
Which meant that this had to have been intentional.  
  
"I can't get anything either. Everything's dead."  
  
Hsi-Feng banged her unit against the wall,  
frustrated as her grandfather was at the   
now useless piece of equipment.  
  
Dennis's first impulse was to order   
his squad to take her back to base.  
But he knew that the little pain in  
places best left unmentioned would  
never agree with his reasoning, and   
trying to force her to go would only   
end up with somebody else getting hurt.  
  
{Why did Ranma have to go and teach her   
those damn fighting tricks for her birthday  
instead of just getting her a regular present  
like *normal* people?!}  
  
"Sergeant!"  
  
"Yes, General?"  
  
"Take the rest of your people back to the secondary  
rendezvous point and try and see if you can   
restablish communications with the others."  
  
"Right away, General!"  
  
The non-com gave her leader a thankful look,  
relieved that the "Hotheaded Firebird" was  
*his* problem now.  
  
Dennis checked the charge on his weapon.  
Seeing how low it was he slipped a fresh   
E-clip out from his belt and switched   
magazines. A small digital readout on   
the side of his rifle now read a   
green "100%".  
  
"Come on squirt, lets go and   
check out that control room."  
  
Hsi-Feng grinned and briefly   
stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Together they started to make   
their way toward the ominiously   
silent Central Control.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Bitter Fate  
  
Conner's face was deathly pale   
when Ranma finished reporting   
what he'd seen.  
  
"So, he's finally found us."  
  
Sarah clutched her husband's side   
with a strength born of anger and   
concern.  
  
{It's not fair!! Why now?!   
After all this time how did   
he finally manage to discover  
this place?!}  
  
Her fears were not for herself,   
but for the man she loved. He   
had told her enough for Sarah   
to know that Conner would be   
the prime target.  
  
The old Knight took a deep breath   
and then exhaled slowly, taking a   
moment to gather his thoughts.   
  
{No matter how far we run,   
the past still manages to   
catch up to us.}  
  
He had known that this confrontation   
was inevitable, but Conner wished with   
all his heart that he'd been given more   
time with Sarah. Somehow he knew that   
this would be the deciding ground.  
  
{So be it.}  
  
He would face the Ravager one last time.  
  
Puzzled by this strange behavior,   
Ranma looked back and forth at   
both of them. He had never seen   
his teachers like this before.   
  
{What's going on?}  
  
Why were they so afraid?  
  
He opened his mouth to ask when   
Conner's harsh voice suddenly cut  
through the uneasy silence.  
  
"Take the boy and get out of here."  
  
He would try and buy them whatever   
time he could, but Conner knew this   
foe all too well. None of them were   
safe from the CosmoKnight's Bane,  
The Ravager of the Dark.  
  
"I can help!!"  
  
Ranma's natural stubborness kicked in.  
It wasn't in his nature to run away from a   
fight. Especially if it meant deserting his  
friends, he would rather die then abandon  
people he cared about!  
  
"You're not ready to face him! Go!!"  
  
Conner didn't have time to argue,  
every second was precious now.  
  
"But!"  
  
He couldn't run away! He just couldn't!!  
  
{I won't be like my father!!}  
  
"Get him out of here!"  
  
The Knight met his wife's grieving eyes,   
they both knew what had to be done.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Instinctively Saotome turned   
toward the apparent threat before   
realizing where the real danger was.   
  
"guhh..."  
  
Ranma bent forward, eyes wide with   
a sense of betrayal as his trusted   
teacher sucker-punched him.   
  
{Why...}  
  
He heard Sarah whisper softly   
into his ear as she caught him.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Then he knew nothing more.  
  
~~~~~  
-For the Want of a Nail...  
  
She was the pride of the Free Worlds, over three miles of  
heavy armor and weapons, the infamous 'Doombringer' class   
Super Dreadnought. Renamed "Hopebringer" after her capture   
by the first Rebel forces over a hundred years ago, she   
now served proudly as the flagship of the main Rebel fleet.  
  
The Hopebringer proudly carried the scars of countless   
engagements on her hull. So many attempts had been made   
by the Imperial Navy to destroy this ship that her entire   
frame was permanently stressed at numerous points and   
filled with thousands of micro-fractures. Despite this,   
she continued to carry on the fight for freedom against   
the Transgalactic Empire.  
  
It was from aboard this ship that the invasion of Ristmoth   
was being coordinated. Harried communications officers   
sweated visibly as they transmitted orders and updates   
from the chain of command out to the entire fleet,   
calling in up to the minute status reports, and otherwise  
trying to keep the whole bloody operation straight and   
organized.  
  
So it was understandable that a strange but   
insignificant report from one of the fleet's   
corvettes was not exactly high on their list  
of priorities to deal with.   
  
Understandable and unfortunate.  
  
By the time message traffic   
cleared up enough to deliver   
the message, it was already   
too late.  
  
~~~~~  
-Curtain Call  
  
Her voice was hard with tightly   
controlled anger as she met her   
grandfather's eyes.  
  
"I've found another one."  
  
Skythe swallowed a useless curse.  
  
"That makes ten so far."  
  
Ten more families he would have   
to write to, explaining why their   
sons and daughters weren't coming   
home.  
  
{When I get my hands on the bastard  
responsible for this they're going  
to wish that their *parents* had   
never been born!!}  
  
The cause of death was simple enough.  
The corpse's throat had been slit from  
ear to ear, leaving a thin strip of   
skin and bone attached between the   
head and body.  
  
"Poor guy never had a chance,   
the sonvabitch used a goddamn   
vibro-blade!"  
  
Once the two of them realized that   
nothing more could be done here,   
they moved on toward the central   
control room at an angry pace.  
  
But when they entered it Skythe and  
Hsi-Feng found the place was already   
occupied.  
  
"What the...?!"  
  
"Hold it right there!!"  
  
There was a scary moment as both sides   
pointed their weapons at each other,  
fingers on hair triggers.  
  
Then Skythe slapped his free hand   
against his forehead in disgust.  
  
"You?!"  
  
The General flicked the safety on his   
weapon and holstered it. There was   
no sense in tempting fate any more   
then he had to.   
  
{I don't believe this!!}  
  
"What are you two doing here?!"  
  
Standing in front of him was half of  
the entire leadership of Rismoth's   
Rebellion.  
  
They were both human, heavily scarred from  
years of covert warfare against the   
Empire and having a slightly gaunt  
look that spoke of moderate malnutrition.  
The years had not been kind to any   
of the people on this planet who  
didn't belong to the .00001% of the   
population holding high rank in the  
Imperial Service.  
  
Rusty, the leader of the Southern Factions,  
was a former planetary peaceforcer and almost   
a quarter cybernetic due to injuries he had   
received both before and after his defection   
to the Rebel's side. Over 2 meters high and   
weighing at least 250 kilos, he also had the   
distinction of having one of the most intimidating   
appearances on Rismoth.  
  
Sharra, head of the Rebel Intelligence Network,  
had started life as the daughter of a slave in   
one of the thousands of hellholes that mined the   
planet's mineral wealth. She had clawed her way   
out of that deathtrap and used her hunger for  
revenge against her oppressers to turn herself   
into a brilliant and devious strategist that   
delighted in tricking Imperial Troops and   
leading them to their doom at every oppertunity.   
Tall and wirey, her thin frame possessed a   
steel-like strength that few could believe   
until they experienced it firsthand.  
  
"We were about to ask you the same question."  
  
Sharra's gravelly voice, the result of a childhood  
spent breathing crushed ore and vaporized smelting   
residue, sounded even more ill tempered then usual.  
  
Beside her, Rusty nodded in silent agreement.  
In one smooth motion he shouldered the heavy  
rail-gun that he had been aiming at Skythe.  
  
"There is something strange going on."  
  
Hsi-Feng snorted rudely before   
lowering her rifle as well.  
  
"You ain't just whistlin' Dixie!"  
  
~~~~~  
-Cold Comfort  
  
When he finally regained consciousness  
it was to find that night had already   
fallen. A hint of nausea from his   
midsection let him know that he still   
hadn't recovered completely from being   
hit by Sarah. The second thing Ranma   
noticed was that she was carrying him   
in a most uncomfortable position over  
her shoulder. Third was the realization   
that his teacher was traveling at an   
airspeed well past the supersonic level.  
  
His stomach lurched in protest   
of the last two little bits of   
information. Prudence won over   
valor as Saotome remained still  
with his eyes closed, fighting   
down the sickening sensations   
through sheer force of will.  
  
{Wait...this could be my chance,  
if I can catch her by surprise  
then maybe...}  
  
"Don't even think about it, Ranma.  
Not unless you're looking for another   
instant nap."  
  
He froze. How had she...?  
  
"I felt your pulse quicken through   
your hip when you woke up. As for   
the rest of it, the way your train   
of thought works is *very* predictable   
after awhile."  
  
{Shit!}  
  
"Now we're almost there. Give me your   
word of honor that you won't try something   
incredibly stupid like going back to  
help Conner and I'll let you loose."  
  
Stubborn silence.  
  
"Otherwise my only other option   
to make sure you get to the   
sanctuary is another lovetap."  
  
Sarah gave him less then a   
minute to think it over,  
knowing that if he didn't   
accept she was in for quite  
a struggle.   
  
No matter how much she sympathized   
with his feelings, even though she   
wanted to go back more then anything   
else in the universe, she knew with  
a stark certainty that both of them   
together wouldn't be able to help   
Conner. Their presence would only   
distract her husband and slow him   
down. The odds were already bad   
enough for him as they were.  
  
{I'm sorry Ranma. But there's nothing  
either of us can do. Conner's right,  
you're not ready. If only we'd been   
able to complete your training...  
then...but that's just wishful thinking   
now.}  
  
"Well?"  
  
The look Ranma shot at her was mutinious,   
as every fiber of his being cried out for   
him to go back and help his teacher.  
To simply abandon a comrade in arms   
went against all he had been taught   
and believed in.   
  
"You can't ask that of me!!"  
  
But he also knew that if it came   
down to it, he didn't stand a   
chance against Sarah in a real   
fight. And she *would* make good  
on her threat if he refused.  
  
Cosmoknights never bluffed.  
  
They didn't need to.  
  
Ranma had never felt so helpless.  
His rage at the trap he now found   
himself cornered against burned   
impotently inside of him.  
  
{Damn you Sarah!! Why?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!!}  
  
A resigned sigh finally escaped   
from his tightly clenched lips.  
  
{Damn you...}  
  
In the end, the only choice was really no choice at all.  
  
"...alright."  
  
True to her word, she let him loose.  
  
He immediately dropped like a rock.  
  
Then the Cosmoknight focused his innate  
flight ability and his descent stabilized.  
It took him only a few seconds to rise   
back up and join her under his own power.  
  
Sarah nodded, satisfied that   
he was recovered enough to   
fly without any assistance.  
  
"Now that that's settled, we have to move   
quickly. We've wasted too much time here   
already."  
  
{I only hope that someday you'll be   
able to forgive me for doing this.}  
  
Her heart heavy with grief and guilt,   
Sarah didn't look back as she led her   
charge away from the coming battle.  
  
{Because the Forge knows, I won't.}  
  
~~~~~~  
-Troubled Skies  
  
"This is Angel One to Papa Horse,   
looks like clear sailing from   
here on in."  
  
"Acknowledged, Angel One. The  
transports are preparing to drop  
now so we can take it from here.   
Your new orders are to patrol   
intervention sphere Zulu until  
relieved, take Angel Two and proceed   
there posthaste. Eagle 1 and Eagle 2  
are already running suppression  
on secondary objectives."  
  
"Roger that. But personally  
I'd be a lot happier if a few   
Imps were still left up here.  
All this waiting is getting on  
my nerves!"  
  
"Nothing we can do about it, Yukio.   
High Command's running this little   
show and they want to capture this  
world as intact as possible."  
  
"I know, I know. A girl can dream, can't she?"  
  
"Well if you do find anything...Good Hunting."  
  
"Thanks Tania. We're heading out there now."  
  
Two Katana starfighters broke off from the main  
convoy and began their descent into Rismoth's   
atmosphere. Their sleek predatory lines glowed  
slightly from the residual heat of friction as  
thousands of individual air molecules impacted   
against their forcefields at several times the   
speed of sound. Night black with starburst   
patterns all along the top and bottom of the   
arrowhead shaped craft, they were nearly   
impossible to spot with the naked eye in deep   
space. But on a planet where the sun shone   
high overhead they stood out like a pair of   
sore thumbs.  
  
Though these fighters appeared to be almost   
identical to their original design specs,   
a closer inspection would discover several  
unsettling anomalies. The first being that  
the frames of the fighters had somehow been   
worked on in the front to accommodate a second   
particle beam cannon in addition to the standard   
main weapon already built into the hull. Second   
would be the medium gravity rail gun mounted   
snugly below the nose of each Katana. The third   
discrepency was the addition of an auxillary   
booster under the main drive. Most of the   
rest was more along the lines of subtle   
modifications and tinkering that slightly   
improved the crafts' maneuverability and   
overall performance.  
  
But the most important difference between   
these two fighters and the standard Katana   
were the modular weapons pods that they carried.  
Not satisfied with the models currently available   
to the general public, the Twins had convinced  
Silvia to *tweak* their payloads. But still unhappy   
with the limitations of even the tricked out pods,   
they had finally gotten the eccentric engineer to   
*design* new weapons pods customized exactly to   
Akiko and Yukio's specific tastes.   
  
The end result was nothing short of terrifying.  
  
Two state of the art starfighers, armed with   
enough firepower to devastate a small continent,   
were in the hands of a pair of slightly crazy   
action junkies ready and eager to take their   
vehicles beyond any limits ever conceived of   
by the original designers.   
  
"Let's rock and roll! Full burn!!"  
  
"Right behind you, sis!!"  
  
The only consolation the Alliance had was that at   
least these maniacs were flying on *their* side!  
  
~~~~~~  
-Have A Nice Day  
  
Two figures dashed through the strangely   
quiet streets. Every now and then one or   
the other would take a quick glance behind   
them. It only confirmed what they had   
suspected since the moment they'd left   
the bar.  
  
"We're being followed."  
  
Nicholas nodded as he continued to scope   
out potential ambush sites and possible   
sniper positions. In Phaseworld it   
wasn't "*were* they out to get you",   
it was *where* they're going to get you.  
  
"Can you figure out how   
many of them there are   
out there?"  
  
Katrina made a "no can do" gesture with  
her free hand, as her other was now firmly  
grasping the handle of her holdout blaster,  
a gift from Ranma during their travels in Africa.  
  
"They're staying just outside of my detection range.  
But there's at least two of them back there."  
  
"Oh? How can you tell?"   
  
"One of my psychic probes smacked into a mind-block   
before they backed off. But at the same time I also   
picked up traces of a different presence nearby.   
The funny thing is, I don't think that they've   
noticed each other yet."  
  
"Great, maybe they'll all kill each   
other and save us some trouble."  
  
She looked at him strangely for a moment,  
unable to tell whether or not he'd been   
serious with that remark.  
  
"I hope you're armed with something a little   
more effective then your sense of humor."  
  
Nick gave her a small smile as he produced   
a handheld video camera from somewhere on   
his person.  
  
"So what do you think?"  
  
Sun stared at him.  
  
"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?  
What are you planning to do? Make home movies  
of us being chased by whoever's back there?!"  
  
His smile widened.  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
Nick thumbed the 'pause' button on   
his camera. The moment he did so  
the innocent looking device underwent   
a startling transformation.   
  
The camera turned a liquid silver color   
as the lens began lengthening into a   
solid barrel while the rest of the main   
body compacted to reveal its true identity.  
  
"I think that this should be effective enough."  
  
Croaker held up a now fully morphed   
Daisho-10 laser sub-machine gun.  
Then he took another look behind   
them and his smile vanished.  
  
"Oh damn."  
  
Their pursuers had finally abandoned any   
pretense of stealth. Nick was finally able   
to get a good look at them.  
  
The trenchcoats, pulse pistols, and   
ominious sunglasses of the Imperial   
Transdimensional Secret Security   
Infiltration Network were unmistakable.  
  
"I.T.S. S.I.N.!"  
  
Katrina assumed from his unhappy tone  
that these guys weren't good news. Her   
suspicions were confirmed almost instantly   
as the Rebel Operative began to spray laser   
fire down the street, forcing the figures  
chasing them to scatter.   
  
But that was of secondary concern,   
Sun was already concentrating on   
her spell.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Extreme Measures  
  
Urd paled as she saw what her   
sister was preparing to do.  
  
"Belldandy, You can't be serious!"  
  
For once the brown haired goddess   
didn't smile when she addressed her   
older sister.  
  
"We've run out of options, Urd.  
And he's running out of time."  
  
Even Blessed Bell, her normally cheerful angel,   
had a worried expression on her face.   
The simple fact that Belldandy felt Bell's   
presence was neccessary was enough  
to give her older sister the willies.  
  
Angels were only brought out for the most   
dangerous of the White Magic spells. They served   
as a kind of celestial grounding unit, ensuring   
that the magical power required by these spells   
didn't also cause the caster to explode from  
a Mana overload.  
  
"I'm going to try a Complete Ritual of Full Restoration.  
But I need to ask you to serve as the conduit, your   
shields are stronger then mine and I'll need all the   
power I have just to complete the spell and keep  
him alive long enough for it to take effect."  
  
"But if you use too much of your lifeforce trying   
to revive him your material form could dissipate   
for hours, maybe even days!!"  
  
"And if I don't do this, he'll die.   
This man saved Skuld's life. Now its   
our turn to repay that debt."  
  
Seeing that nothing was going to change her mind,  
Urd nodded in reluctant agreement. Belldandy was   
right, as always.   
  
And deep inside the heart of the Goddess of Love   
was a small voice whispering that maybe this guy's   
fate was more important to her then she wanted to believe.  
  
Of course she ignored it.   
  
Since when did Urd listen to *anybody's* advice?  
  
"Just...just be careful. Okay, sis?"  
  
Belldandy finally smiled.  
  
"Okay."  
  
~~~~~~  
-Regrets  
  
The figure ran blindly through the pitch black forest,  
every now and then he stumbled and slowed on the   
treacherous terrain, but not once did he ever stop.   
Nor did he ever dare turn to look behind him.   
To do so would only confirm what his instincts had   
been screaming at him for the the last few hours.   
  
He was being hunted.   
  
Above him the rumbling sky threatened   
to finally unleash the fury it had been   
building up to for the past several hours.   
It was nearly midnight and he was tired,   
cold, and though trying desperately to deny   
it, afraid. Somewhere behind him, lurking in   
the hostile darkness, was the nightmarish figure   
that his friends had tried so desperately to   
stop. They had tried so hard to protect him.   
  
They'd failed.  
  
His eyes burned, but the time for tears  
would come later. For now, all he could   
do was keep moving and try to stay ahead   
of his relentless pursuer.  
  
Ranma was determined to make sure their   
sacrifice had not been in vain. He had   
to keep believing that, otherwise that   
would mean he'd thrown away his honor   
for nothing. And if that was true, then   
there was truly nothing left for him in  
this life but madness and death.  
  
His destination was a mountain chain a few kilometers   
away, hidden there was the small scout ship that he'd   
used to get to this planet. Although capable of surviving   
in a vacuum, his control over his powers had not yet   
matured to the point where he could leave a planet's   
atmosphere unaided. There was no safety anywhere on   
this world now, but in the vastness of space even the  
most determined hunter had no more a chance of finding   
him then they did of catching the end of a rainbow.  
  
Deep in his heart Saotome longed to   
just to turn around and face his enemy.   
  
But Sarah's last words to him kept echoing in his head.  
  
"Run! Get away from here!! Finish what   
you have begun, find your destiny!!"  
  
And like a base coward he had fled, the last   
pained but determined expression on her face   
seared forever in his memory like a burning coal.  
  
He had left her behind, knowing somehow that she   
didn't stand a chance against whatever was chasing   
them. In doing so he had broken the oldest and most   
important promise to himself Ranma had ever made.  
  
He had abandoned a friend. Even knowing that there  
was nothing he could have done to stop her, that  
damn her eyes she'd been right, the guilt threatened   
to crush him beneath its unbearable weight.  
  
{There had to have been another way! I should have found one!!}  
  
But the cruel truth was that there hadn't been.  
  
Conner had known that, and so had Sarah.   
There was always a price to be paid,  
and hope carried the steepest one of   
all.   
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Fight Or Flight  
  
The most dangerous thing about magic-users  
isn't the power of their spells. It's how  
their devious minds come up with such nasty  
ways to use what's available to them.  
  
Case in point, the incantation Katrina was   
casting was a second level spell known as   
"Grease". Not possessing much power in and   
of itself, but simple and easy to cast   
quickly. More importantly, Kat knew   
*exactly* how to use this spell for   
maximum effect.  
  
"For the foe who runs on steady feet,   
find now no purchase upon the street!"  
  
A clear viscous liquid appeared underneath   
the feet of four of the approaching Imperial   
Agents.  
  
The result was almost comical to watch.  
  
"Waaaggh!"  
  
"Look out!!"  
  
"Augggh!!"  
  
"Can't stop!!"  
  
This was immediately followed by the  
sound of several high speed collisions  
as soft flesh impacted against very,  
*very* hard Mega-damage walls.  
  
*WHAM*  
*CRUNCH*  
*SQUISH*  
*SNAP*  
"...medic."  
  
Having successfully dealt with a  
third of their pursuers, Sun turned  
her attention to the rest of them.  
  
{Heh! Next...eh!}  
  
And promptly ducked as a pale yellow   
particle blast cut through the air   
where she'd been standing.  
  
"Keep your head down!"  
  
Nick punctuated his advice with a  
well placed shot from his submachine   
gun. The beam drew a curse from an   
overly daring agent that had exposed   
his arm in order to fire.  
  
"Sonvabitch!"  
  
Dark plasti-armor sizzled as the laser   
burned deeply into it, stopping just  
barely short of the actual arm itself.  
  
"That outta give those idiots some  
second thoughts about taking us on.  
I don't suppose you've got any other   
tricks up your sleeve?"  
  
Kat turned to look back at him.  
  
"Actually, I was going to   
ask you the same thing."  
  
Nick grimaced.  
  
"Sorry, miracles aren't my specialty,"  
  
Her blaster soon joined his   
Daisho-10 in keeping the rest  
of the Imps from trying any   
similar acts of daring.  
  
For a few heated minutes the   
situation remained a bitter   
stalemate.   
  
But then at last came a noise   
that Croaker had been dreading   
all along.   
  
Not from the front, but *behind* them.  
  
"This way! Cut them off!!"  
  
The sound of Imperial reinforcements.  
  
"Oh hell, we're in trouble now."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Further Complications  
  
The communicater's visual display   
crackled as an excited SIN agent  
reported their quarry's current   
status.  
  
"This is Team 1, we've found them!  
Currently under heavy fire, requesting  
immediate support from all available   
units to Port Junction 9, Section 35!!"  
  
But the woman that owned this   
was already long past caring   
about such things.   
  
"Target One positively identified   
as Packrat. Target Two is an   
unidentified female believed to   
be connected to Objective Mustang.   
Treat with extreme caution, we   
believe she may possess dangerous   
psionic...*zzzt*..."  
  
A dark metal heel ground both communicator   
and the cooling wrist it was still attached   
to into the ferrocrete.   
  
Everything was going as planned.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Death Ground  
  
The first icy drops of crimson rain finally began to fall.  
As a byproduct of this planet's unusually high concentration   
of iron deposits, everything on this world was tainted   
by the oxidized material.   
  
Ranma ran on.  
  
The endless line of trees was starting to thin,   
he was finally coming to the end of the forest.  
  
{Only a few more hours until I reach the ship...}  
  
And then he felt it. The Knight froze where he was,  
not daring to move even an inch as a chill ran down  
through his suddenly tense body.  
  
{!}  
  
The air had gone completely still, an unnatural   
silence broken only by the falling rain. Now   
more then ever it reminded him of freshly shed   
blood.  
  
{I'm being watched...}  
  
The hair on the back of his neck  
rose as he anxiously looked into  
that dreadful darkness, desperately   
searching for any sign of the hunter's   
presence.   
  
{Where?!}  
  
To go out in a blaze of glory protecting   
others or in the defense of life, freedom,   
and honor, that was an end he did not fear.   
But to be brought to ground in an empty   
wilderness like a prize stag, he didn't   
want to die like this.   
  
{Not like this!}  
  
Despite his best efforts, he could find   
nothing out the ordinary. No explanation  
for the expectant hush that draped over   
this edge of the woods. His nightvision  
was keen but severely limited. With only  
the ambient light from stars and an   
occasional play of distant lightning   
from the approaching storm the Cosmoknight   
could barely make out anything past fifteen   
meters in front of him.   
  
Everything seemed to look as it had before.  
  
Only his instincts told him otherwise.  
  
{He's here...somewhere.}  
  
The attack came from the left.  
  
Only a high pitched humming at   
the very last second gave him  
any kind of warning at all.  
  
*zummm*  
  
He was still trying to make sense of the noise   
when his left eye exploded in white hot agony.  
  
{Aaaagghh!!}  
  
Clutching his torn face with a bloody hand,   
the Cosmoknight dived for cover even as his   
free arm came up in retaliation.   
  
An incandescent bolt of blinding light lit up   
the night as it disintergrated a dozen trees   
and two mossy boulders in its path before   
finally expending the rest of its barely   
diminished energy on a craggy overgrown   
steppe just under a mile away. The blast was  
so destructive that the steppe didn't even   
explode, it simply vaporized.   
  
His action had been born of pure reflex,  
but he regretted it almost immediately.  
  
{Damnit! Shouldn't have done that!!}  
  
Ranma had just made a *BIG* mistake.  
  
The flash from his blast burned into   
his own retinas, effectively ruining   
his night vision. While with his training   
the time he would normally need to recover   
from this would only be a few minutes,   
those were minutes that he didn't have.  
  
Because with that shot he'd also just   
given away his position to whoever was   
out there.   
  
{Damn it Saotome, get your   
ass in gear and MOVE!!}  
  
Scrambling to his feet, the knight  
abandoned his position in the mud   
not a moment too soon.   
  
*zummm*  
  
The deadly hum sounded again,   
grazing his head an inch above   
his right ear. Fighting down   
the panic that threatened to   
erupt, Ranma rolled and twisted   
again as something sharp sliced   
through a branch somewhere in   
front of him.  
  
*Zuuummmm*  
  
{Where is it coming from?!!}  
  
He recognized what that sound was now.   
  
A Malkovitch Death Disk. An exotic, highly   
illegal weapons system used only by   
professional killers and a fringe of   
eccentric weapon collecters. Galactic   
society in general considered the Death   
Disks highly abhorrent, even hardened   
criminals usually wanted nothing to do   
with these sadistic killing devices.  
  
Small, lightning fast and nearly impossible to destroy,  
they were armed with a miniature contra-gravity generator   
and jagged mono-molecular blades, the disk worked as a   
flying buzz-saw. They homed in on their targets through   
a sophisicated laser targeting system and then slashed   
them to pieces. Humans and similar 'soft' races were   
usually cut in half after one pass. Even Mega-damage   
body armor couldn't stop them most of the time.   
  
The only real drawback of the weapon was that it   
required a line of sight in order to hit anything,  
giving it a maximum range of about five hundred feet.  
There were plenty of other weapons that could have   
taken him out from further away, which meant that  
this Hunter *wanted* to have to close with his   
intended prey.  
  
{He's toying with me...}  
  
First being hunted like an animal, now this.   
Only someone that enjoyed seeing their victim's   
blood liked using a Death Disk for the kill...  
  
...it was the final straw.   
  
He had been pushed too far.  
  
{NO MORE!!}  
  
Something deep inside of him snapped.   
The chilling fear fled, in its place   
began to burn an all consuming rage.   
  
{I'm through running. Whatever happens, I am   
a Cosmoknight. I will not disgrace the vow of   
loyalty I took. This ends now! One way or   
another, IT ENDS!!}  
  
The bleeding Knight ceased his evasive movements   
and came to a deliberate halt. His ears alert  
for the telltale whine of the deadly disk,   
he began to wait.   
  
A warm feeling started building in  
his stomach as he closed his useless   
eyes. His hearing flickered for a   
fraction of a second before suddenly   
sharpening to where he could now   
distingish the sound of individual   
raindrops striking the forest floor.   
The rich smells of a living ecosystem   
filtered through his nose, the sharp   
tang of rust overlaying them all.   
  
The chill of the night seeped through  
Ranma's wet skin. He accepted it without  
complaint. Concentrating instead on the   
flow of the air around him he waited for   
his chance.  
  
*zzz*  
  
It was coming again.  
  
*zuuu*  
  
Closer. Not yet. He needed to strike   
at the very last second in order to give   
its AI no chance to evade his attack.  
  
*zuuu-*  
  
It was closing fast, the distance   
disappearing with every heartbeat.  
  
*-mmmm*  
  
The moment came.  
  
*zzzissh--*  
  
Ranma's hands blurred as he used   
the speed enhancement technique   
that Sarah had taught him only   
a few weeks ago.  
  
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!!" (1)  
  
Most of his punches missed. But he was throwing out   
hundreds of them and the laws of universal probability   
declared that at least some of them would connect.  
  
One of them did.  
  
*CRACK*  
  
Mega-damage alloys and micronized electronics   
shattered, bits and pieces crashing into the   
brownish-red mud. In return its deadly   
blades slashed deeply across the knuckles   
of his right hand.   
  
He ignored the pain, it was a small price to pay.  
Opening his one good eye, the Cosmoknight was   
rewarded with a whole bunch of dark blurs instead   
the big light blur that he'd been seeing. But Ranma   
would be damned before he'd let that stop him now.  
  
{Let's finish this!!}  
  
He dropped into a fighting stance and   
yelled angrily into the silent night.  
  
"Come out and face me like a man!"  
  
'ssshhhh'  
  
A stray breeze moaned softly as the  
surrounding darkness grew even colder.  
  
"I am Ranma Saotome, Heir to the Anything   
Goes School of Martial Arts and Protecter of   
the Cosmic Forge, if you want my life so badly   
try and take it from me!!"  
  
At first there was only the wind.  
  
But then came the cool voice that would   
forever haunt his darkest nightmares.  
  
"Brave words, boy."  
  
Overhead, the storm finally broke. For an   
endless moment a gigantic jagged bolt   
of lightning filled the cloudy skies   
with savage azure fire.  
  
"Brave, but foolish."  
  
Although still fuzzy at the edges,  
Ranma's vision was clear enough  
for him to finally see his enemy  
for the first time.   
  
{!!!}  
  
He could only stare at first,   
paralyzed with shock from what   
he saw.  
  
{It's impossible!! He's...he's...!!}  
  
"I fail to see why those stubborn fools   
tried so hard to shield such an insignificant   
weakling from me..."  
  
Ranma bristled defensively.   
  
{Gotta keep it together, I need to stall him   
long enough to regenerate a little. No matter   
what he says I can't let his words get to me!}  
  
There was a brief pause as   
the blurry figure stepped   
closer.  
  
"...Conner must have gone senile   
in his old age..."   
  
Ranma could taste blood from  
where he bit deeply into his   
lower lip.  
  
{No, it's just what he wants!!}  
  
"...And that woman of his was just   
as stupid to believe in him."  
  
{!-!-!)  
  
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!!"  
  
Boundless contempt dripped from his lips as   
the Ravager responded to the crude challenge.  
  
"As you wish."  
  
And the battle was joined.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Escape  
  
"Here they come again!"  
  
"Tell me something I don't know!!"  
  
Nicholas pulled a fist sized grey capsule   
from his belt and pushed down on the center.  
  
*beep*  
  
He tossed it over the totaled   
hovercar they were using for   
cover.  
  
"Fire in the hole!"  
  
The anti-personnel grenade peppered the area   
with deadly shrapnel, hitting everything   
within its radius indiscriminately.   
  
It bought them a few extra seconds.   
  
The two of them used the time to abandon   
their position and quickly scrambled down   
a blind alley. Sun got a mouthful of her   
own hair as she put on an extra burst of   
speed. The Leyline Walker quickly spit it   
out in disgust.  
  
"Where are the cops when you need them?!"  
  
"They don't get involved in these kinds   
of offworld affairs, we're on our own."  
  
"Well that's just GREAT!"  
  
Their pursuers had recovered and   
were once again on their heels.  
  
"If we can make it to the starport,   
we'll be able to lose them."  
  
The shouts and cries were getting closer.  
  
"Got any ideas on how to do that?"  
  
Long distance energy blasts began flashing by.  
They were missing so far, but every shot brought   
the range closer to their targets.  
  
"As a matter of fact..."  
  
They were finally entering a more active section   
of the level. The few pedestrians scattered and   
ran as soon as they realized that a running battle   
was coming through. Nicholas paid them no heed,  
having more important worries at the moment.  
  
Besides, he was more interested in the *vehicular* traffic.  
  
An unlucky hoverbiker chose exactly the wrong   
moment to stop in front of a nearby bar for a   
quick drink.  
  
A swift kick deposited the lanky humanoid   
onto the ground in a rougher fashion then  
it had been expecting.  
  
"Gloorrrl?! HOKOSHO!! BRAELNE!! BRAELNE!!"  
  
Nicholas wasted no time in mounting the now   
riderless vehicle. Katrina quickly realized   
his plan and scrambled up behind him. She gave   
the owner a look of apology.  
  
"Sorry, we need this more then you do!"  
  
The Rebel agent spent a few seconds to  
familarize himself with the controls.  
Once satisfied that he could fly this   
oversized mechanical monster, Nick   
tossed back a quick warning to his   
fellow passenge.  
  
"Hang on!"  
  
That was when Kat realized there  
weren't any safety harnesses on  
this thing.  
  
"Wa-Wait!!"  
  
*VAAAVAAAVAAAVOOOMMM*  
  
Croaker and Sun were treated to  
an acceleration from standing   
rest to 250 kilometers per hour   
in the span of three seconds.  
  
"Aaaaaa!!"  
  
Without the benefit of seatbelts.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  
  
That's more like it.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Duel Of The Fates  
  
He fought bravely, using every technique,   
every bit of skill at his disposal.   
  
"Bakusai Tenketsu!!" (2)  
  
He fought tenaciously, never attacking the   
same way twice. Learning almost instantly   
from every move, successful or not, and   
adapting his style accordingly.  
  
"Mizu Dai Geki!!"(3)  
  
He fought with the certainty of youth,   
believing in his heart of hearts that   
justice would prevail.  
  
"Aaaagggh!"  
  
Ranma fought...to no avail.  
  
"Uwwaaa---!!"  
  
The air was blasted out of his lungs as   
another one of the Ravager's attacks   
smashed through his defenses and sent   
him hurtling straight into the side of   
a rock ledge. The stone shattered where  
he impacted, and as Ranma struggled to  
get back up he vomited a mouthful of   
blood onto the hard surface.  
  
{He's...too...strong...}  
  
His knuckles were raw and swollen from   
countless failed attempts to strike his  
enemy. His left kneecap had been smashed   
in, and his one remaining good eye was   
swollen almost completely shut. Half his   
ribs were crushed, and blood ran freely   
from dozens of ugly wounds all over his   
body.  
  
"Is that the best you have to offer?"  
  
"Nngghh....shut...up!!"  
  
Slowly, painfully, Saotome started to claw   
his way back to his feet. He managed to get   
nearly halfway up before an armored heel   
smashed into his left kidney and sent him   
crashing back down.  
  
"Pathetic."  
  
A second kick struck him from behind and  
Ranma felt his left arm snap like a brittle  
twig. Flashes of blinding white flooded   
his vision as wave after wave of indescribable   
agony flooded through him. Helpless tears of   
impotent rage clung to the edges of his half-blind   
pupils, stubbornly refusing to fall. Still he   
continued trying to fight back. Instead resisting   
the imparted momentum he rolled with it, redirecting   
most of the force into a desperate low kick. His   
form was almost perfect, even with the injuries   
slowing him down. Exactly like how he'd practiced   
in training.  
  
But 'almost' wasn't good enough.  
  
"Too slow."  
  
His attack was stopped far short of its mark.   
The Ravager had an advantage in power and   
reach that Ranma couldn't possibly hope to   
match with just his bare hands. And Saotome   
had already discovered firsthand just how   
strong his opponent was.  
  
{Damn...you...!}  
  
A wet explosion marked the swift   
destruction of his right kneecap.  
  
"...!!"  
  
There was nothing left in   
his lungs for him to scream.  
  
But even worse then the physical pain   
was the coldly indifferent expertise  
that the Ravager was using to take him   
apart.   
  
Methodically, efficiently and brutally  
the fledgling knight's moves were   
countered, his strategies nullified,   
his hopes crushed.  
  
{Conner...Sarah...I'm sorry...I tried...}  
  
There were a hundred moments in the battle   
where his enemy could have finished him off   
but did not, choosing instead to continue   
to break him. His healing factor was stretched   
to its limits as each new wound sapped away at   
his diminishing strength.  
  
Dying by inches.  
  
And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.  
  
His limp body landed on a rocky outcrop that gave way   
under the violence of his landing. he tumbled down the   
rough slope, leaving a crimson spattered trail in his wake.  
  
"And to think those fools believed you would be worthy of   
the Key. As if a weakling could succeed where I did not."  
  
{What...what is he...talking...about? Key...?}  
  
It took everything Ranma had left and more to   
arise from he'd fallen. But somehow he managed  
to get back up one more time. His wobbling legs  
threatened to give way, yet he still stood on   
his feet.   
  
"I grow tired of this farce."  
  
Battered by injury and exhaustion, his mind started   
to slip in and out of awareness. He was beginning to  
react instead of think as his tenuous grasp on   
consciousness loosened with every passing moment.  
  
{The g-good guy's...supposed to win...}  
  
He felt cold, so very cold. Ice gripped his pounding   
heart tightly as he watched the dark specter approach.  
  
{Why...can't...I...beat...him?!}  
  
Desperately, hopelessly, he stumbled foreward and launched   
one last punch, throwing away every bit of his remaining   
power into that final blow.   
  
"DAMN YOU!!"  
  
It was an attempt doomed to failure.  
  
But he had to do it anyway, anything less would have   
meant he'd given up. And a Saotome never gave up, ever.  
  
"Idiot."  
  
A gleam of darkness.  
  
A sudden burning sensation from his right wrist.  
  
Then a fountain of blood erupted forth as his   
clouded eyes stared dumbly at the stump where   
the arm now ended as his cleanly severed hand   
dropped to the ground below.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Shock Therapy  
  
"Now!!"  
  
Pure mystical power geysered forth from Belldandy's   
glowing form. A stream of unadultrated psychic   
energy that channeled directly to her older sister.   
  
Urd grimaced as she absorbed the intense charge.  
It was a little like being plugged directly into   
a nuclear reactor. Even for her, the power was   
almost uncomfortable to retain.   
  
{If this doesn't get him up, nothing will.}  
  
Loooking down at his broken faceplate, she   
brushed back a stray strand of black hair  
that was showing as she whispered a short   
prayer for the unconscious young man.  
  
"Please...please let this work."  
  
Then she let it loose.  
  
~~~~~~  
-Destiny  
  
Clutching his right arm in disbelief,  
he stumbled backwards. Dimly, he could  
sense himself uncontrollably trembling  
from the sheer shock. It was too much.   
  
{I...}  
  
It seemed he was only human after all.  
  
{I want to live...}  
  
A weak azure glow began to illuminate the area.   
  
But he couldn't see where it was coming from.  
Ranma could barely see at all now, but he could   
still feel the icy bite of the blood red rain   
beating down upon him. He was going perish here,   
on an alien world so far from home.  
  
{no...}  
  
All alone.  
  
{No...}  
  
Disgrace, defeat and now death.  
  
{NO!!}  
  
The glow grew brighter.  
  
"Now it ends."  
  
A shadow fell over his form.  
  
Ranma looked up into the   
face of his executioner.  
  
{I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!}  
  
And suddenly the light became   
blindingly bright. Beyond   
anything he'd ever known.  
  
"What? What is this?!"  
  
He could hear surprise in  
the Ravager's voice as if   
from a great distance.  
  
Then everything vanished  
within that searing light...  
  
~~~~~~  
-Reaction  
  
Scarlet lightning erupted from the center   
of their patient's chest, catching Urd and  
Belldandy completely off guard.   
  
They were thrown back by sudden violent outburst,  
the hellish glare forcing them to shield their  
eyes.   
  
"What's happening?!"  
  
Belldandy had no answer for her sister.  
  
Ranma's body jerked forward.   
As his head came up he screamed.  
But instead of sound, a beam of solid   
white shot up toward the temple's roof.  
  
The weatherworn stone vanished as if it had never   
existed, a moment later the light struck the mystical   
barrier that the three goddesses had spent so   
much time to erect.  
  
At first it seemed that their work would be in vain  
as the beam impacted. Colors of the sea flared up as   
the two forms of energy battled for supremacy. As   
the raging force expended itself against the fiercely   
glowing shield it threatened to break through.  
  
But the Ward held.  
  
And just as abruptly as it began, the outburst ended.  
  
The Knight collapsed back onto the futon.   
  
To all outward appearence he seemed completely lifeless.  
  
"No!"  
  
The bronze skinned goddess dashed toward him,  
her features betraying unexpected emotions.  
Urd started to pound on his chest,   
refusing to believe that they'd lost him.  
  
"It can't end like this!"  
  
She froze abruptly, afraid that her   
imagination was suddenly playing   
tricks on her.  
  
But there it was again.  
  
She wasn't mistaken.   
  
Slow, but steady.   
  
A heartbeat.  
  
"Thank goodness..."  
  
She looked down upon his   
half-hidden face and gently   
cradled his head in her lap.  
  
"You idiot...don't scare me like that."  
  
Watching from the side, her sister smiled knowingly.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The pain eased as his body finally succeeded in   
expelled the alien contaminents that had been   
poisoning his system.  
  
With the enormous drain on his system gone,  
a flicker of awareness flared to life...  
  
~~~~  
-Heart of the Sword  
  
Darkness.  
  
Different this time, but familar.  
  
In his mind's eye he saw again the   
battle against the two minions on   
the streets. Something about their  
powers, something important...  
  
'Negaforce.'  
  
A growing sense of recognition tickled   
at the very edge of his mind.   
  
'Evil beyond forgiveness, beyond redemption.'  
  
His kind had faced this somewhere before.  
  
But where? And when?  
  
'Remember.'  
  
From deep within the Cosmoknight's subconscious   
a name stirred on the fringes of his awareness.   
A collective memory shared by all of the Forge's   
Chosen.  
  
'One of our most ancient foes, a vile entity   
we believed destroyed so very long ago.'  
  
At last he recognized his enemy's true nature.  
  
Called the Deceiver, the Betrayer, and more   
then a thousand other names in a hundred   
dead languages, her true identity had been   
lost to the rest of the galaxy long before   
the birth of modern civilization. Only the   
Cosmoknights and the Forge still remembered   
the truth.  
  
'Finish the task that our brethren started.'  
  
A single word escaped his unconscious lips.  
  
"Metall'a."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
-The Negaverse (Our motto: How may we kill you today?)  
  
THIS COULD NOT BE!!  
  
But the images brought back by   
her minions were unmistakable.  
  
The old memories of pain and humilation   
stirred once again as the vile being   
studied the revolting projection.  
  
"After all this time...one of those   
digusting meddlers has finally   
found their way here..."  
  
A Knight of the Cosmic Forge.  
  
On Earth.  
  
The silent mental roar of mindless anger and pure   
unbridled hate shook the palace to its very foundations.  
Every one of Metall'a's minions cringed in pain and   
terror from the sheer force of their mistress's outrage.  
  
{Of all the infernal things...why one of *THEM*?!*}  
  
Over a thousand millenia had passed since the  
Dark Star Kingdom, which had spanned the furthest   
reaches of the Anvil Galaxy at its height,   
had been destroyed by those wretched beings.   
The crowning achievement of her power,   
brought down by those cursed pawns of  
the damnable Forge.   
  
They had slaughtered billions of her minions   
and sent the badly wounded Intelligence fleeing   
to the farthest reaches of the Multiverse.   
It had taken over seven hundred years for the   
injuries to heal, and longer still for the   
entity's pride to recover from the bitter   
taste of defeat.  
  
Metall'a would *never* forget.  
  
{revenge...}  
  
By the time the Intelligence finished healing,  
Metall'a had found herself too low on psychic   
energy to risk returning to the Three Galaxies   
or any of the known dimensions. In her weakened   
state she would have been easy prey for any of  
her rivals. Only the strongest survived in the   
merciless ecosystem of the Alien Intelligence.  
  
And so she was forced to remain in exile. Years   
passed into decades, decades turned to centuries,  
and the centuries began to fade into the obscurity  
of millenia.  
  
Still she had waited for an opportunity to rebuild her empire.  
  
Her chance had finally come when those first strange   
emanations reached her, power that she later learned   
originated from the Imperium Silver Crystal.  
  
And she had been so close!  
  
Once again Metall'a cursed Serenity and all of her descendents.  
  
If only they hadn't interfered time and time again!  
  
Even now, a thousand years later, one of the Royal   
Family had appeared and thwarted her attempts at conquest.  
  
To be defeated by a clumsy, simpleminded, scared little crybaby...  
  
With an effort she pushed aside the old frustration.  
  
She could not afford such distractions now.  
  
{Revenge.}  
  
The Sailor Senshi could wait.  
  
She would never be safe as long as this  
Cosmoknight lived. He *had* to be eliminated  
quickly, before he discovered the truth.   
Metall'a knew that if the Knights ever   
discovered her presence again that this   
time they would hound her to the very ends   
of the universe until either she or they   
were completely annihilated. Those stubborn   
do-gooders were all but impossible to stop   
once they set out to do something.   
  
{REVENGE!!!}  
  
It was incredibly difficult to kill a Knight of the Forge.  
  
But not impossible.   
  
For the Intelligence was well aware of the one   
chink in their nearly impenetrable defenses.  
  
Magic. The ultimate bane of the Cosmoknights.   
  
Metall'a had learned to exploit this weakness   
to its fullest early on during the war against them.   
Enchanted weapons and spells of power could slay any   
of those fools as easily as a simple mortal and even   
the most venerable Cosmoknight was still vulnerable   
to the lethal kiss of a Drinker of Souls.  
  
Unfortunately, almost all of her items of power had   
been lost during the Great War. Her enemies had been   
very through in their efforts to find and destroy   
the Intelligence's hidden caches of weapons and   
magical artifacts. Most of what she'd managed to   
spirit away had been wasted during her many attempts   
to seize control of the ancient Silver Millenium.   
  
And with her reserves depleted so heavily,   
she could not risk a direct attack on him yet.  
  
She just needed a little time.  
  
Time to plan, to discover how much this   
one already knew. Was he alone, or were  
there others watching and waiting?  
And most important of all, time to   
gather what remained of her strength.  
  
For if worst came to worst, she might  
have to deal with this matter *personally*.  
  
Though her powers had weakened from her long  
exile, still they were more then a match for  
a single knight no matter how experienced he  
might be. Especially if the choice of battle   
grounds was hers to decide.   
  
The entity's features cortorted into a grotesque   
approximation of smug anticipation as she stared   
at the hateful image in front of her.  
  
A few weeks to prepare, no more. Enough for the Intelligence   
to marshal her forces, yet far too short for the   
Knight to confirm her presence here.   
  
And then the battle would truly begin.  
  
She could almost taste her long awaited vengence.  
  
And she found it sweet.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-On A Lighter Note  
  
She shook her head at the sight before her.  
  
"Oh you girls, I can see I've got my work cut out for me."  
  
Yohko and her two friends were sprawled out   
cold on the floor. Trickles of drying blood   
on their faces indicated that nosebleeds   
of considerable proportions had taken place   
recently.   
  
She easily spotted the culprit.  
It was lying in plain view for   
anyone to see.  
  
{Only on chapter 1? This could take longer then I thought...}  
  
After making the girls more comfortable   
Nodoka grabbed her sword as she headed   
for the family dojo. She needed to relieve  
some stress in preparation for the task   
ahead. It was during these times that   
she missed her husband Genma the most,   
he had been so *good* at relaxing her.  
  
~~~~~  
-Paying The Piper  
  
Sasami beamed at her fellow passenger  
as their blonde driver raced along  
the winding roads that led back to   
the Masaki Valley.  
  
"There were some scary parts,   
but I had a lot of fun today!!"  
  
Kiyone was not normally a religious person.  
She'd been assigned as Mihoshi's partner  
for far too long to believe that a benevolent  
deity was watching over her. But as they drove  
back to the house she was praying up a storm,   
hoping desperately that Princess Ayeka had *not*   
found out about Sasami's little *adventure*.   
Especially given the fact that Kiyone and Mihoshi   
were supposed to have been responsible for watching   
her.  
  
{Oh please, oh please, oh please!! I'll never   
ask for anything else for the rest of my life!!  
I'll even stop badgering you every night about   
getting me a transfer off this third rate planet!!}  
  
The little princess's tale of what happened when   
she went off on her own had almost given the teal   
haired detective a stroke when they finally found   
her. Kiyone knew perfectly well that if Ayeka found   
out about this she would blow a gasket, not to   
mention what she would do to the Galaxy Police   
Officers!   
  
"We're almost home!"  
  
Mihoshi's innocent cheerful tone  
did nothing to soothe her partner's  
worries. Far too soon for her comfort,   
the house started to come into view.   
  
So did a steaming, larger then life   
First Crown Princess of Jurai with   
both Guardians in tow.  
  
And boy, did she look unhappy!  
  
Detective First Class Kiyone paled.  
  
"We're dead."  
  
~~~~~~  
-A Quick Review  
  
Trying to pry useful information out of   
the Guardian of Time is like using your   
bare hands to pull teeth from an irritated   
grizzly, a fact that the rest of the   
Sailor Senshi were fast discovering   
to their dismay.  
  
"Tell us!"  
  
Rei's simple direct approach didn't work.  
  
"No."  
  
"C'mon! Just one little hint!!"  
  
Minako's adorable puppy eyes   
also failed to budge her.  
  
"No."  
  
"Please!!"  
  
Even Usagi's ear-torturing whining   
was of no use, Setsuna's iron   
resolve remained firm.   
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
This argument was now going into its third hour.  
The Princess and most of the other Senshi wanted  
to know what Setsuna was keeping from them. It was  
almost painfully obvious to all by now that their  
oldest member knew more about the strange warrior   
then she was saying. Even Haruka and Micheru were   
siding with the Inners on this one, they hated being  
kept in the dark just as much as the others.  
  
"Spill it Setsuna, what is it about this guy   
that's got your tail in such a twist?  
  
The Time Guardian raised a single graceful eyebrow.  
  
Haruka shrugged in response, determined not to   
let Setsuna divert her with the old "switch to   
another subject" mind trick.  
  
"Hey, I may be violent but I'm not   
stupid. Now answer the question."  
  
"No."  
  
"Arrggh!!"  
  
This was really getting nowhere fast.  
  
But while everybody else was busy in   
their futile efforts to get something,   
*anything* besides a denial out of Meiou,   
Ami was quietly working on her slightly   
scorched VR visor and mini-computer.   
Somehow she knew intuitively that these  
held a key piece of the puzzle that now   
faced them.  
  
What Mizuno was trying to do was not   
especially original, simply connect  
a two-way data feed between the pieces   
of equipment. This would allow her to   
replay today's earlier battles for everyone   
else and give her computer's more powerful   
electronic 'brain' a chance to analyze   
the huge influx of data that had caused   
her VR visor's systems to crash. The   
operation wasn't hard, simply time consuming.  
  
*shnick*   
  
A final circuit clicked into place.  
  
*Beep*  
  
The blue haired genius smiled   
in tired satisfaction.  
  
"There! All done."  
  
This finally attracted the   
attention of the other girls.  
  
"What have you got there?"  
  
Ami started typing in the needed commands.  
  
"Some answers, if we're lucky."  
  
The screen of her mini-computer flared   
to life and began to project a three   
dimensional scene in front of the   
curious Senshi.   
  
The response was immediate.  
  
"Hey, that's him!"  
  
"Ack!! How come nobody ever   
told me my thighs are that   
big?!!"  
  
"..."  
  
Everyone took a moment   
to stare at the suddenly  
bigsweating Minako.  
  
"Never mind."  
  
Fortunately for her, the miniature   
battle playing out in front of them  
quickly recaptured their attention.  
  
Usagi and Rei blinked and swallowed heavily.  
This was the first time that they had gotten   
a chance to see what all the others had been   
making such a big fuss about.  
  
"....wow."  
  
"Ami, why are you fast forwarding through this part?"  
  
"I'm not, Usagi. This is playing back at a 1:1   
ratio. He's actually moving that quickly."  
  
Usagi paused in mid-bite of a cracker and paled.  
  
"And Setsuna wants us to fight *him*?! Has she gone completely bonkers?!!"  
  
Heads turned toward their oldest member.  
Or rather, where they'd last seen her.  
  
An empty chair met their eyes.  
  
"How does she keep doing that?!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Eyecatch of the day   
  
~Fade In~  
  
(Ranma running away "Road Runner" style from the   
normal mob of girls trying to get a piece of him.)  
  
Ranma: AARRRGGGH!!!  
  
(The chase goes back and forth through the streets of   
Nerima/Juuban/Osaka/*insert Japanese province of choice*)  
  
Ranma: I've gotta find a way to get away from them!!  
  
(A light bulb pops up over his head)  
  
(Ranma runs into the nearest phone booth and pulls a curtain down)  
  
*Sounds of frantic changing of clothes*  
  
(Door opens and out pops Oogumi Ichirou [Sakura Wars])  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: Heh, they'll never spot me in this getup!  
  
(True to his words the girls pass him by, completely fooled)  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: Yes! Free at last!!  
  
*BOOM*  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: OH NO!! NOT THEM!!!  
  
(Several beautiful women with assorted weapons and a cute twelve year old surround him)  
  
Members of the Hanagumi: Hold it right there! You have to decide which one of us you really like the most!!  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: Uh, can I get back to you on that?  
  
Sakura/Orihime/Kanna/Sumire/Kohran/Maria/Iris: NO!!  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: In that case...RUN AWAY!!!  
  
(A second chase ensues)  
  
Ranma/Oogumi: Let's try that again!  
  
(He runs, hides, and switches appearances again)  
  
Ranma: Ta da!  
  
(Trouble Contracter Kane Blueriver [Lost Universe] steps out)  
  
(The Imperial Flower Division passes him by)  
  
Ranma/Kane: Whew! Finally ditched all them.  
  
(An ominous rumbling overhead seems to contradict that)  
  
Ranma: It *can't* be....  
  
(Four girls pop up)  
  
Milly: There you are!!  
  
(Milly pulls out her trusty oversized energy pistol)  
  
Melrina: How dare you try to run out on us!!  
  
(Melrina also pulls out a gun)  
  
Karin: Little lion, it's time to play.   
  
(Karin pulls out her energy whip and charges it up)  
  
*Wh-ppishhh*  
  
Canel: You've been a very *bad* boy!  
  
(The Sword Breaker starts aiming all of its 200+ guns at him)  
  
Ranma/Kane: help me...  
  
~Fade Out~  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Portents & Omens  
  
Setsuna Meiou collapsed onto her bedroom   
floor as soon as her teleport finished.   
  
While not the most powerful of the Senshi,  
she was unquestionably the most experienced.  
Pluto had never been reborn like the others   
and so retained full awareness of her powers.  
  
Normally she would have known better then to  
tap into that power while in civilian form.  
The strain it placed on her body made such an  
act impractical except for the most dire of   
emergencies. But after seeing the replay of   
the first few minutes of the first battle she'd   
gone into shock.  
  
{Impossible. It's impossible...}  
  
Her first instinct had been to run and hide.   
  
{I've finally gone completely mad.}  
  
It was the only explanation her   
tormented soul could come up with.  
Rationality was submerged beneath   
the need to keep her deepest secret   
from the others. They would never   
understand, and the shame of them  
finding out was unthinkable.  
  
Because she recognized that fighting style.  
  
Setsuna had held some suspicions during their battle earlier,  
but the way he had been holding back (and she realized   
now that he had not been engaging them seriously at all)   
had prevented her from confirming the uneasy feeling of   
familarity that had plagued her during the brief melee.  
  
But now there was no mistaking that graceful and utterly lethal   
dance of quicksilver strikes and teasing dodges that defied  
any attempt to define a pattern.  
  
{Ran...}  
  
She had thought that any remaining feelings for   
him had died long ago. It shocked her then, the   
maelstrom of conflicting emotions that now arose   
from the possibilty that somehow he had survived   
the Silver Millenium's destruction.  
  
"I hate him! I...hate him. I..."  
  
Confusion ran rampant through her mind,   
she wasn't sure about anything anymore.  
  
How? How could he have survived?  
  
And then she realized...  
  
{I attacked him. I hurt him...maybe even killed him.  
Wasn't that what I always wanted? But...}  
  
She recalled with stark clarity using her Chrono-Trigger   
technique against the Knight. She had dreamed of making   
Ran pay for his crimes, wanting to hurt him as much as he   
had done to her. But now the satisfaction that she   
had always expected to feel was not there. Instead   
there was a simply an aching emptiness within her breast.   
  
"What's wrong with me?! I thought revenge would make  
the pain finally go away...why? Why won't it stop?!"  
  
An unexpected voice answered her.  
  
"Perhaps it is time you started listening to your heart   
instead of burying yourself within your duties, Puu-chan."  
  
Setsuna froze as that familar regal tone   
penetrated through the haze of despair and  
bitter loneliness. She turned to see a tiny   
spark of silvery white light pass through   
the bedroom window. It hovered for a moment   
at eye level and then slowly coalesced into   
a figure the Guardian of Time had not seen   
since that dark day over a thousand years ago.  
  
Barely a foot tall, the spirit of the  
former monarch might have been mistaken  
for a fairy queen. Her silver hair and   
transluscent wings shimmered with a   
faint unearthly light that gave her   
tiny form an almost tangible presence   
of undisputed authority.  
  
"Queen Serenity!"  
  
Setsuna hastily knelt before her beloved ruler.  
  
"Your Majesty."  
  
A brief look of mild irritation crossed Serenity's features.  
  
"Stop that, Setsuna. You know I always hated going through  
the formalities in the Moon Kingdom. I didn't put   
up with it then and I won't put up with it now."  
  
The Guardian of Time scrambled back to her feet.  
She was pale from the multiple shocks to her system  
but still managed to hold herself steady in the face  
of her Queen.  
  
"But, Serenity-sama...how?...why? I don't..."  
  
Serenity gave her a small sad smile.  
  
"Hush. My time here is short. I have delayed my   
final journey long enough. This will be the last   
time I will ever be able visit this world again   
and I have no intention of wasting this opportunity."  
  
Setsuna was left in a stunned silence.  
  
"Much better."   
  
The spirit nodded in approval   
even as her eyes softened.   
  
"I know that these past centuries have been   
hard, but it is long past time that you   
stopped blaming yourself for what happened."  
  
Setsuna's head came up in protest.  
  
"But Highness, it was *my* fault that Beryl  
managed to launch her surprise attack!   
I neglected my duty by letting my feelings   
interfere with the oaths sworn to you   
and the entire kingdom. I let my guard down..."  
  
Nothing could have softened the anguish in her voice.  
  
"...and the Silver Millenium paid the price for my failure."  
  
Serenity shook her head.  
  
"No. All you did was fall in love.   
There is no crime in that."  
  
Setsuna laughed dryly, a small hateful sound  
full of self condemnation and loathing for  
her sheer stupidity.  
  
"I loved him...and in return he sabotaged our defenses,   
killed the Senshi of Uranus and Neptune, and banished   
me to the Gates of Time...I should have killed him when  
I had the chance."  
  
The Queen's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.  
  
"Do not judge what you have yet to understand."  
  
"Serenity-sama?"  
  
Confusion was writ on the Setsuna's face.  
  
"Let it go, Puu-chan."  
  
Serenity was not indifferent to her friend's plight.   
There was so much that Pluto didn't know,   
and though the spirit wanted to comfort   
her she also knew that she could not. Indeed,  
she *dared* not. Serenity was only one tiny   
thread in the tapestry of Destiny. She understood  
the necessity of the final grand pattern, but that   
didn't mean she had to like it.  
  
{If it were possible I would spare you the pain  
you must soon face. But life has never been very   
fair to you, old friend.}  
  
Her face revealed none of the sympathy   
she longed to give, leaving only the   
steel will of the Queen for all to see.  
  
"Heed my words, Guardian of the Gate."   
  
The green haired woman stiffened as she   
heard herself being addressed by her   
full formal station.  
  
"Between the Darkness and the Light stands the sleeping knight,  
He will be known by the Blood of two Worlds,   
Heir to the Dragon's Sword,  
Marked by the Wings of the Endless Storm,  
A Promise of Life that might or Death that will,"  
  
Suddenly there was a tugging sensation on her   
remaining energy, one that grew stronger by the  
second.  
  
{No! It's too soon!! I need more time!}  
  
"Past and Future will soon come full circle,  
The Destined are called to fullfill past vows yet to be sworn,  
Old Enemies will meet again,  
Opposing sides of the Coin,   
Hope and Curse intertwined,  
Two Students inherit their shared Legacy,  
But only One shall claim their Destiny,"  
  
Setsuna started to move as she saw her liege's  
image begin to fade but was halted by the warning   
look on her face.   
  
With an almost visible effort of   
concentration the Queen managed  
to briefly stabilize her vanishing   
form.  
  
But only for a moment.  
  
"Beware of the Beast that hides within the Man,  
Beware of the Deceiver that lives in the Shadows,  
Beware of the Coveting Heart that shuns the day,  
For only a Blade of Truth will be their End,  
Seek out the Soul that holds no Lies,  
Heal the Void within the Child of the Stars,  
Return the Key of Life to the Soul of Origin,  
To Unlock the Seeds of the Past,  
And Open the Gates of the Future."  
  
The spirit's nearly transparent form started to   
shiver weakly as she fought to stay there just   
a little bit longer.  
  
{I owe her this much at least!}  
  
"Remember this well Pluto. Those who choose  
to challenge their destiny...do...not...  
always...lose..."  
  
And then she was gone.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-What Could Possibly Go Wrong?  
  
A certain news broadcast hit the  
international community of Earth   
with all the subtlety of a bull   
in a china shop.  
  
The repercussions were immediate,  
although most of them would not be  
discovered by Ranma until much later...  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Amazon Village, China  
  
""  
  
Cologne blinked. After 300 years  
there weren't much left capable of   
surprising her.   
  
This was one of those memorable moments.   
  
The video feed was shaky and of poor  
quality due to interference from the   
surrounding mountains but the image  
was unmistakable.   
  
""  
  
HOW had that person gotten his hands on such   
an advanced Amazon special technique?!  
  
Only the village elders were supposed to possess  
them, the techniques were so difficult to master   
that of the entire village only Cologne and a few   
other grandmasters were able to do more then just   
remember the names of those ancient special attacks   
anymore.   
  
Even Happi, the only outsider to ever gain access to  
the original scrolls, had never been able to fully   
comprehend their workings.  
  
""  
  
""  
  
Comb, Lorekeeper and one of the more liberal   
elders of the village, joined her in the hut.  
  
""  
  
Despite her light tone, the eccentric mystic knew   
that this situation required further investigation.  
  
She had been sensing powerful forces in motion lately.  
Now it looked like a quick excursion to Japan was in order.  
For when elephants clashed, it was always the grass that suffered.  
  
{I can feel the Lines of Destiny shifting. Whether it is for good  
or ill is impossible to tell. But there are Old Powers involved,   
and they could very well tear this entire planet apart if they   
engage in open conflict.}  
  
Then Comb smiled.   
  
As Lorekeeper for the tribe it was her   
responsibility to keep record of unusual   
events for the benefit of future generations.  
  
And this promised to be anything but boring.  
  
Cologne felt a sudden cold chill run down   
her spine as she caught a glimpse of that  
telltale grin.   
  
{Goddess preserve us, every time Comb gets excited   
about something we always seem to find ourselves in   
a hell of a lot of trouble!}  
  
The younger Amazons who didn't really care about silly  
Japanese magical girl shows and just wanted to go out   
and track down their beloved pigtailed soon-to-be-husband   
were already packed and ready to go.  
  
It was going to be an interesting trip.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Interpol HQ  
  
"Mother! How could you engage me to some kid?!"  
  
Chun-Li Zang shouted angrily at the hapless phone,  
her fingers wrapping hard around the cord in an attempt  
to strangle it. Was there some unwritten Universal  
Law that said mothers had to embarass their daughters   
for the rest of their natural lives?  
  
"You bought him from his father in exchange for a *WHAT*?!"  
  
The Chinese Interpol agent had dealt with some   
pretty strange and tramatic things in her life,  
but this one took the cake complete with icing   
on top!   
  
"No way! Absolutely out of the question!!"  
  
She was *not* going to marry some snot nosed little punk   
just because her mother was desperate for grandkids to spoil!  
There were limits to what she'd do in the name of filial piety,   
and this was definitely one of them.  
  
"This is not the Dark Ages!"  
  
Unfortunately her mother didn't seem to agree with her.  
  
"Fine!! I'll just have to find the jerk and   
get this stupid deal annulled from *his* side!!"  
  
Chun-Li slammed her phone back down onto its   
cradle with a barely restrained snarl that   
boded ill for her 'fiance'.  
  
Her fellow agents suddenly found that   
they had pressing business elsewhere.  
  
All except for one unfortunate secretary  
who was just a tad too slow in realizing   
her peril.  
  
The Interpol agent loomed over the rapidly paling woman.  
  
"Book me on the first flight to Japan...NOW."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-The Diggers...  
  
"OHMYGOD!"   
  
Gina Diggers had a familar feverish gleam   
in her eyes. Her passion for exploration,  
knowledge, and (most importantly) treasure   
was well known to family, friends and rivals   
alike.  
  
"I've got to get that sword!!"  
  
Brittany and Brianna sighed in   
unison. Both knew their sister's   
routine by heart now.  
  
"Here we go again..."   
  
~~~~~~~  
-...And Co.  
  
"C'mon Charlotte, we're going to go and   
one up little Miss Golddigger by getting  
to that artifact before she does."  
  
Penny, eternal and (sorta) friendly rival   
of Gina Golddigger had *that* look on her   
face again.  
  
"Um, okay. But won't the person who owns  
the sword have something to say about that?"  
  
Her winged bodyguard wasn't so sure about this.  
  
"Leave *that* to me. Warm up the jet, Ace."  
  
Her other companion put a hand to his head.  
  
"I just know I'm gonna regret this."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-London, England  
  
"Hello Moneypenny."  
  
The long suffering secretary   
didn't even bother looking up  
from her work.  
  
"M is waiting inside."  
  
She winced, the old battle axe   
probably couldn't wait to chew her   
out for her last assignment if   
Moneypenny's reaction was anything   
to judge by.   
  
{Maybe it's time to start thinking  
about another line of work.}  
  
She shook her head as a very   
un-agently giggle threatened   
to escape.  
  
{Yeah, and maybe Daddy will   
finally settle down with just   
one woman.}  
  
Her features resumed their normal composure   
the moment she stepped into M's office.  
  
"We have a potential situation 003."  
  
{Uh oh.}  
  
M nodded toward the digital screen on   
the wall behind her.  
  
"This was picked up on one of Tokyo's   
satellite broadcasts two hours ago."  
  
Agent 003 raised a single perfect eyebrow.  
  
"Um...I wasn't aware that we were in the  
habit of investigating tabloid special  
effects."  
  
M gave her an annoyed look.  
  
"This is a serious matter 003. Obviously there's something   
beyond the ordinary going on. And Her Majesty's Government   
doesn't like to be kept in the dark. Take the next plane   
to Japan and find out exactly what or who that is and  
report your findings back here A.S.A.P."  
  
003 nodded, resigned to the inevitable.  
  
"And one more thing Melissa,   
do try not to behave like 007   
while you're there."  
  
It was all Melissa Bond could do not to roll  
her eyes at that. *Nobody* could possibly  
get into as much trouble as her father.  
  
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
*-Interruption-*  
  
"Looks like we're in for quite a show."  
  
Shadow wasn't the type to rub his hands   
together with glee, but only because it  
would have made him look silly.   
  
The Bard had no such reservations.  
  
"Oh yeah!"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
Rowan had his own private concerns,   
but he was beginning to get an inkling  
of what Zora was up to. It was no secret  
that the Cosmoknights had been trying to deal  
with certain *problems* in their respective  
galaxy, but the odds had always been skewed  
against them. Too many beings found the easiness  
of being evil an irresistable option.  
  
But if what he suspected was true,  
the balance of power was about to   
take a major hit.  
  
"I hope you know what you're doing."  
  
She nodded back at him.  
  
"I do too."  
  
*-We Now Resume the Fanfic Already in Progress-*  
  
~~~~~~~  
-The Melva (Flagship of the Raalgon Empire)  
  
Empress Azalyn Goza the 16th banged her   
royal scepter against the floor and   
issued her command in a suitably   
sounding voice equal to the importance   
she placed on this task.  
  
"You know the drill. Now go out and find Paco Paco!"  
  
"Yes, your Highness."  
  
With all the cheer of a man condemned   
to a fate worse then death, Captain Dom  
of the Raalgon Naval Forces bowed and   
left the Throne Room.  
  
{Not again! Damn you Tylor!!}  
  
Ru Baraba Dom feared no man.  
  
But Justie Ueki Tylor was no ordinary man.  
  
Tylor was an enigma. His superiors wanted to  
kill him, his enemies wanted to kill him,  
and more often then not his loyal crew wanted   
to kill him too. Simply surviving so much   
emity directed toward him was incredible,  
but *prospering* under such adverse conditions  
was nothing short of the kind of luck that  
made a person believe in miracles.  
  
And yet somehow Captain Tylor managed to do just that.  
  
Which was why the Raalgon Empire's military   
was so afraid of him. The guy simply wasn't  
human! And while Dom admired Tylor's incredible  
streak of good luck, he did *not* like the   
captain's current relationship with the Empress.  
  
Especially since said relationship involved the   
removal of royal garments, suspicious giggling noises,  
even more suspicious moaning, and the Empress yelling  
"Faster Paco Paco!! Don't Stop!!" loud enough to shatter  
the listening equipment that had been secretly placed   
in the royal quarters for her safety.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Get Up And Go!  
  
Morning. On a planet with two suns  
this event was usually regarded by   
the locals as having all the charm of   
a bunch of Homocidal Incarnations of   
Lost Technology.  
  
Of course, not everyone felt that way.  
  
"Mmmmm."  
  
Meryl Stryfe, of the Bernardeli Insurance Agency  
pulled the sheets closer around her deliciously  
tired body as she luxuriated in the warm kiss  
of the dawning day.   
  
For once all was right in the world for her.  
At last, after months of stress and hardship,  
she had *finally*, *FINALLY* gotten her hands  
on that idiot Vash and after several hours of   
enjoyable persuasion managed to get those three   
magic little words out of him.  
  
Now all that was left was to tie him up,   
drag her man to the nearest preacher,   
and then get the two of them hitched   
before Milly or one of the other girls   
got wind of her plans.  
  
A questing hand reached over toward   
the other side of the bed in search   
of her future husband. Unfortunately  
the warm body that Meryl found snoring  
beside her was *not* Vash the Stampede.  
  
For one thing, it was much too large.  
And the figure had breasts, large ones,  
which narrowed the possibilities down   
to...  
  
"MILLY?!!"  
  
Milly "Stungun" Thompson, fellow agent   
for Bernardeli Insurance and Meryl's  
exasperating sidekick, awoke from her  
pleasant dreams of the previous night.  
  
"..uhn? Oh! Good morning Sempai!"  
  
All of a sudden, the stress was back.  
  
"HE DID IT AGAIN!!"  
  
Meryl's outraged scream shattered   
every glass object in a six block   
radius. A slightly tired looking   
young blonde man with a spiky hairdo   
and a red trenchcoat seven blocks   
away started running even faster.  
  
"Uh oh. Looks like she finally woke up."  
  
Unfortunately for Vash and the city   
of 'Jackpot' in general a marshal   
that bore a striking resemblence   
to a certain ditzy Galaxy Police   
Woman and several ladies that   
had once tried to kill him were   
walking down that exact same street.  
  
Random destruction and lots of   
gunfire started almost immediately.   
  
Jackpot City ceased to exist an hour later.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-RIFTS Earth  
  
The outskirts of the City Fortresses were   
some of the most wretched and violent areas   
of the Coalition States. Here the poor and   
desperate gathered, hoping for a better life   
inside the heavily armored and fanatically   
guarded bastions of the human race.  
  
Many of them found only death. Others managed   
to scrabble out a miserable existance under   
the ever watchful eyes of the Coalition Armed   
Forces. And for a rare few, these slums were  
the stepping stone to the kind of wealth   
and power that most people were only able to dream of.  
  
Unfortunately these areas were also the best   
places in North America for certain people to find   
information that would otherwise be inaccessible  
to them.   
  
From one of the countless seedy bars on the outskirts  
of Chi-Town, the Coalition's capital, came the panicked  
cries of a bartender.  
  
"No Blasters! No Blasters!!"  
  
It was followed by the sound of a fist meeting flesh.   
  
Shortly thereafter the main entrance of the slumping   
building exploded in a spray of rotten woodchips and   
rusty nails as a limp body went crashing through it to   
smack heavily onto the muddy street.  
  
"All I wanted was some information, dirtbag."  
  
Janet Braddock stepped across the shattered door   
and made her way to the unconscious idiot who'd  
made the mistake of underestimating her determination  
to find her man. And if that took shaking down every   
lead on the planet, she was prepared to do just that.  
Even if Ran didn't know that he was hers yet, she'd   
fix that when she finally found him. Especially since   
things were getting more urgent, Janet had been hearing   
'rumors' that she wasn't the only merc out to stake a   
claim on her 'Ran-chan'. If the leader of the   
former "Robot Control" outfit wanted to get in the   
way, Braddock would be more then happy to kick Chen's   
scrawny ass across the Atlantic.  
  
Hefting the groaning city rat to his feet,   
the mercenary slapped him across the face   
until he was semi-coherent.  
  
"You could've just said no. Now you're going  
to spill your guts, or we'll have to do this..."  
  
Her thin smile would have given a glacier frostbite.  
  
"...the *hard* way."  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Speaking Of Strange  
  
Katrina was screaming like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Ohmygodlookoutforthosebuildings!!!"  
  
Because if Croaker lost control over their ride,   
there wouldn't be a future for either of them.  
  
Nick grimaced as the hoverbike screamed barely   
a dozen meters over the streets of Spacetown.  
He'd been correct about knowing how to fly   
this oversized monster, but controlling the   
damn thing was an entirely different story!  
  
"Highergohigherwe'regonnacrash!!!"  
  
The engine was at least five times beyond street   
legal, even for the very loose laws of the Center.   
And the speed crazy idiot that owned it had   
apparently taken out *all* of the mandatory   
safety interlocks.  
  
"Leftleftnotthatway!!!"  
  
He cursed as a stray rooftop holographic billboard   
projecter got a little too close for comfort. Sparks  
flew as the bottom of the bike scraped briefly along  
the solid metallic structure. The initial impact   
nearly unseated them both, and it also had the added   
effect of making their already shaky flight even  
more unstable. But at least there was some good coming  
out of this. They weren't being followed. Even Imps   
weren't stupid enough to try and copy the flight path  
of an obviously suicidal lunatic.  
  
"Somebodystopthisthing!!"  
  
Several hair-raising minutes later they finally cleared   
Spacetown and entered the Shipyards. Now all they had to   
worry about was trying to avoid smashing into any of the   
hundreds of light starships and shuttles docked here.  
At least most of the spacecraft here were *slightly*   
smaller then the buildings they'd already passed.   
Which wouldn't make crashing into one at their current   
reckless speed any less fatal, but at least now they   
had more room to dodge out of the way.   
  
At least in theory anyway.  
  
"Aiiieeee!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Down Comes The Hammer  
  
Skythe was talking with Sharra  
when the first alarm went off.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
It was coming from the gravitational satellite array.   
  
Hsi-Feng started cursing a blue streak as she dashed   
for toward the console and slid into the seat in front   
of it.  
  
The array consisted of an enormous network of sensor  
drones that monitored the gravitational distortions  
of interstellar vessels. These distortions were   
generated by the FTL drive, any ship equipped with   
Faster Then Light technology generated a gravitational   
'bubble' that sent 'eddies' through the local space-time   
continum, similar to the ripples that resulted from   
throwing a stone into a still body of water.   
  
As a result, starships not equipped with military class stealth   
systems could be detected by modern sensors as far as 10 Light   
Years away. Even ships *with* stealth systems couldn't hide   
themselves completely from detection. The betraying gravity   
signature was too distinct. All that stealth systems actually   
did was weaken the detectable effects of the gravitational   
distortion to a less noticable level. And even then, that   
normally only worked against *civilian* sensors.  
  
The satellite array had been put in place by the Empire for   
inner system defense coordination. And that meant it was a   
*military* design.  
  
"The Forge preserve us..."  
  
Dear Gods, they *couldn't* be seeing what they were seeing.  
It wasn't possible. It simply *wasn't* possible!  
  
But the uncaring screen continued to display its horrifying data.  
  
"They knew. Somehow the Empire knew we were coming."  
  
Skythe felt the blood run from his face as he stared   
in shock at the screen from where he stood behind his   
granddaughter. His mind grappled with the enormity of   
the catastrophe that the Alliance had blindly walked into.   
  
And what it meant not only for the fleet in orbit above,   
but the people here on the planet as well. *His* people.   
They had followed him here, trusted in his leadership,   
and believed that their planet would be free once more.  
  
They'd come so close...so goddamn close.  
  
Only to see defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.   
  
He wanted to do something, anything to break   
free from the paralysis that held him. But   
to his shame, he could not. The shock to   
his system was too great. It felt like he   
was drowning in quicksand, the more he   
struggled to move the more he was held   
fast by the terrifying certainty that anything   
they did now would only be an act of futility.  
  
Sharra was not so hampered.  
  
She went to the last remaining operational  
command comm-unit and prepared to send a   
message out to the rest of their forces.   
  
"We have to warn the Fleet before it's too late."  
  
{If we can transmit the coordinates that the Imps are   
coming in from to the Fleet, then they'll have a few   
seconds of opportunity fire while the enemy is still   
reorienting from coming out of hyperspace. If they can   
hit the bastards hard enough as they jump in then we   
might just have a chan-...}  
  
The searing red brightness of a laser beam flashed   
through the room, cutting the woman down before her   
hands even got close to the controls.  
  
"It already is too late."  
  
~~~~  
-Danger Zone  
  
The Falcon's pilot and squadron leader of the Untamed Stallion's   
fighters was Lt. Commander Meia. A Fleet brat, both of her parents   
had been killed in action shortly after her enrollment into the  
Alliance Armed Forces. As a result Meia had been considered a  
'cold fish' by every crew she'd worked with before finally being   
dumped onto a glitch-ridden experimental warship and its crew   
of misfits, hardcases, and the newly promoted Captain Ranma. (4)  
  
The first few weeks had been...difficult.  
  
Especially once Meia had learned that the Fleet  
had neglected to assign any fighters to their  
ship. Which had meant that her position as squadron  
leader had been totally meaningless...at first.   
  
She'd handled that discovery rather badly at the time.  
It had seemed back then that her entire world was going  
down the tubes, left to rot on a dinky little ship that   
wasn't even part of the regular Naval command anymore.  
  
But the Captain had changed all of that.  
  
The Falcon and her sister Hornet were Black Eagle   
Space Superiority Starfighters. Their design was a  
relatively new one, barely twenty standard years old.  
Armed with two heavy lasers, a contra-grav rail cannon,   
and a large selection of missiles they were also one of  
the smallest craft in the Three Galaxies ever equipped   
with FTL capability. These fighters were supposed to be   
available only to the Consortium Armed Forces and its   
members' planetary defense forces.   
  
A few dozen production models had managed over the past   
few years to slip through to the Black Market, but even   
then they were so rare as to make them all but impossible   
to obtain under normal circumstances.   
  
However, nobody had remembered to tell Ranma that fact.  
  
Because he had paid an arm and a leg (figurately speaking)  
a few months later to surprise Meia and her other pilot, Lt.   
Teleri, with two Eagles so new that their paint schemes   
hadn't even finished drying.  
  
His actions had shocked her to her very core.   
  
She had treated him with nothing but cold contempt  
from their very first encounter, having been warned  
well in advance by the Fleet's rumor mill about the   
new captain's womanizing ways and also about how his   
glory chasing had led to promotion after promotion   
while ignoring the costs that were shouldered   
by the people who *really* deserved the credit.  
  
Even before she had met her new commanding officer  
Meia had been determined that she would not become   
just another notch on Saotome's bedframe. She had been   
certain that the new captain would prove to be either   
an arrogant pigheaded Casanova or a coldblooded opportunist   
who used his rank to take advantage of his subordinates.  
  
She'd been wrong. On all counts.  
  
Because Ranma Saotome had turned out to be   
like nothing she could have possibly imagined.  
  
And heaven help her, he'd managed to do the one   
thing that she'd believed would never happen to her.   
Without even meaning to he had broken through   
the shield of ice which had protected her heart   
for so long. Ranma had discovered a soul that  
still cried for her parents, who let no one else   
get close because losing those she cared for hurt   
too much. A woman afraid of love, because she knew  
that the universe was cruel and uncaring.   
  
But he had cared. Truly. Unconditionally. Absolutely.  
  
And with that realization her entire world had shattered.  
  
Because if this universe allowed such cruelty and suffering,   
then there also had to be an equal possibility of someone  
as good as the Empire was evil. Someone like Ranma.  
  
{My love...but it took your departure to finally admit   
the truth, to say the words out loud to myself.   
I pretended that it was only simple lust,   
that would eventually pass with enough time.  
And now...now I may never get a chance   
to tell you my real feelings.}  
  
"Eagle 1, report in."  
  
Meia snapped out of her brief reminiscence.  
  
"This is Eagle 1, my sector is clean."  
  
But the bittersweet ache within her heart remained.  
  
"Rodger that, Eagle 1. Form up with the rest of   
the other squadrons and prepare for new mission   
objectives."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
Her radar registered a sudden brief   
hit at the very edge of its range.  
  
A few seconds later there was a   
second nearly insubstantial ping   
in the same general area.  
  
Meia's brow creased as she tried to confirm   
whether the contact was real or just a trick  
of the atmosphere.  
  
"Hold on Control, I'm picking up a sensor   
ghost near the Geo-Hunter range."  
  
She frowned, puzzled by this anomaly.  
  
High concentrations of heavy metals in those   
mountains rendered most sensors useless for   
ground and low altitude detection. But they   
shouldn't have been interfering this far above   
the planet.   
  
She began a focused scan over the range.  
  
{Okay Silvia, time to see if your work on my   
sensor array was more then just idle boasting.}  
  
And then the unknown contact's faint white   
signal abruptly changed to bright angry red.  
  
For what seemed like an endless moment,   
Meia's conscious mind didn't register the change.   
But her reflexes, honed through years of combat flying   
where even a fraction of a second's delay could mean   
the difference between life and certain death,   
were already in play.  
  
A flick of the wrist brought up the Falcon's ECM from   
standby to active and switched her comm system to  
the all-squadron frequency. She diverted power to  
strengthen her forward shields and sent her   
fighter plunging into a steep dive even as   
she cried out a warning to the others.  
  
"Bandits at 6 o'clock!"  
  
A swarm of enemy fighters erupted from the  
clouds below even before the last syllable   
was spoken.   
  
"All wings, engage at will!!"  
  
Squadron formations disintergrated as shocked Rebel   
pilots desperately tried to avoid getting killed   
as the upper atmosphere erupted into a snarling   
knife range dogfight.  
  
Suddenly there were only the quick, and the dead.  
  
~~~~~  
-Too Little, Too Late  
  
Alarm claxons started screaming on the command   
deck of the Super Dreadnought HopeBringer.  
  
"Admiral, Imperial ships are coming out of hyperspace in Sector 12!"  
  
Splotches of red icons identifying enemy warships   
began to appear on the tactical display of the system.   
  
Hundreds of them. Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers,   
Battlecruisers, Carriers, and worst of all...  
  
"Enemy Super Dreadnoughts have entered the system!!"  
  
The Hopebringer's captain turned toward Admiral Iblis,  
his eyes wide with sudden horrified understanding.  
  
"It's a trap!!"  
  
~~~~~  
-Resolution  
  
It seemed to take an eternity   
to complete the final move.  
  
"Checkmate."  
  
The Forge was silent. It had known that   
this moment was inevitable, but an attempt   
to try and change what was to come had to be made.   
  
And It had failed.   
  
Now the Chosen One would have to face the   
greatest challenge of his life before   
he was ready. There was no more time left.  
The Forge could only hope that the training  
he had been nudged toward was enough.   
  
It would have to be.   
  
Or else they were both doomed.  
  
"It seems that your side has lost.   
Like that archaic human term, what is it again?   
Oh yes, I remember now. Game over."  
  
[No. Not yet.]  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
But when he turned around again Thoth found himself   
addressing an empty room. He scratched the feathers   
on his forehead and sighed.  
  
"I really hate it when you do that."  
  
There was no longer any point staying here.  
His friend would be back when it wanted to return.  
And the Ibis God still had a book of technowizardry  
to finish anyway.  
  
"Oh well, it was rather nice to finally win   
after losing so many times in a row."  
  
[...*...]  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
Just for a second he thought that he saw the Forge reappear   
out of the corner of his eye. But when he looked directly   
in that direction there was nothing there. Whatever that   
sound was, it had been too soft for even his keen   
sense of hearing to make it out.  
  
It *might* have been just the whisper of a stray breeze.  
  
But his workshop was climate controlled.  
  
[Now the real game begins...]  
  
-End of Chapter III.   
  
(To be continued...in Chapter IV)  
  
  
*$*$*$*$*$*  
  
(1) The ever reliable Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Fist  
  
(2) A familar Breaking Point  
  
(3) Water Blossom Strike  
  
(4) What, you thought they'd given him a *normal* crew of women to start with? Perish the thought!  
  
-Stuff to know-  
  
Note: Terms and People from other sources such as the   
Pallidium RPG system and various Anime series.  
  
PPE (Potential Psychic Energy):   
  
This is the most common type of energy associated   
with the supernatural in Palladium RPGs. PPE is   
the "fuel" of all magic, also called Mana/Manna.   
(Note: This is not Ki/Chi! That's an entirely   
different type of energy with similar properties)  
Although normally found in living creatures, it can   
also occur in certain areas where the fabric of   
space-time has been weakened to such an extent   
that the boundries between the dimensions are blurred  
(i.e. the infamous "Ley lines").  
  
ISP (Inner Strength Points):   
  
Psionic Energy, a.k.a. the power of the mind,  
used for stuff like telekinesis, pyrokinesis,  
telepathy, empathy, telemechanics...etc.  
  
Rune Weapons (RIFTS: Atlantis):   
  
Powerful enchanted weapons usually created through   
a forbidden magical process that binds a living soul  
to the device forever. These souls are what gives the  
weapons their power. The stronger the soul, the more  
powerful the weapon. Very rare and highly coveted by  
most beings, in addition to being highly destructive   
against living creatures they are also usually   
indestructable and often intelligent and self-aware.  
  
The Nightlords (Nightbane):   
  
Ancient evil sorcerers of human origin who made   
a pact with the Forces of Darkness to become   
supernatural PPE vampires with an *unbelievable*   
amount of power. They can shape/reshape   
matter & energy at will! Their powers are   
so advanced that they don't *need* to cast spells.   
Add to that their personal armies ranging from   
thousands to tens of millions of monsterous troops,   
not to mention a hit point count that's just plain   
insane and you have a race that could give the   
Old Ones a run for their money.   
  
The Coalition (RIFTS):   
  
North America's largest surviving human population  
after a nuclear holocaust and decades of invasion  
by demons and monsters. Unfortunately due to their   
evil leaders the Coalition has become a twisted   
nightmare rather then the dream for restablishing   
humanity that was its original intention. Total  
techno-crats, they *HATE* anything related to magic  
or the supernatural. Closest equivalent for comparision  
would be the Nazis during WW II.  
  
Vash the Stampede (Trigun):   
  
A mysterious outlaw/reluctant hero who has a   
$$10,000,000,000 bounty on his head. Inhuman reflexes  
and kinesthic sense (has been known to dodge bullets at  
point blank range). Occasionally acts serious but normally  
just a goofball personality. Called the "Humanoid Typhoon"   
for the damage he inadverently causes to any and all property   
when bounty hunters try to kill him. And as you might guess,  
that happens quite often. 


	24. Chapter 4a: All Good Things Must Come to...

..............  
  
Her feet barely made a whisper   
as she launched herself toward   
the target.  
  
She swung in a single motion that  
carried her straight past without  
even disturbing the sleeves of her  
kimono.  
  
A single brief flash of light   
was all that marked its passage.  
  
So quick was the strike that her  
blade seemed to never leave the  
sheath. The "clink" as the hilt  
slid back down was the only thing  
that dispelled this illusion.  
  
And then it was over.  
  
The entire attack routine   
had taken barely four seconds.  
  
Nodoka didn't need to look back at the  
practice dummy to know her Ryu Tsui Sen had  
struck cleanly, though there would be no visible   
mark on the target. If anyone were to examine   
her sword, they would have noticed that it was   
a sakabato (reversed edge).   
  
As the 19th inheriter, her skill with   
the family blade was nearly flawless.   
  
Nearly.  
  
As much as it pained her to admit it,  
she knew instinctively that there was   
still something missing from her technique.  
  
It was the same stumbling block that had prevented   
her father and his father before him from ever   
truly mastering the Way of the Heavenly Sword.   
The secret succession technique: "Ama Kakeru Ryu No Hirameki",  
which her great-great-grandfather had never passed   
on to the inheritors of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.  
  
.........  
  
The bishonen finished the latest round of orders  
in record time. Business was always good around   
the high schools, the local lunchlines were   
places where angels feared to tread.  
  
"Wow! this is the best Okonomiyaki I've ever had!"  
  
With a nod and a smile to acknowledge the   
compliment the ponytailed cook deftly flipped  
another sizzling piece onto the customer's plate.  
  
"Thanks Sugar."  
  
She almost had enough money saved   
up to continue her quest once again.  
  
All she had to do was be patient.  
  
{No matter how long it takes, I'll track   
those worthless Saotomes down.}  
  
Ukyo was good at waiting.  
  
For nearly ten years she had been preparing   
herself for the day when she would finally   
get her hands on the thieving Saotomes.   
Her hunger for vengence had only grown sharper   
with the passage of time. Each hour that   
her retribution was put off only served to   
fuel the merciless flames smouldering inside   
of her shattered soul.  
  
Revenge. It was now the single driving force   
of her life. All of her thoughts, all of her   
energy was focused on avenging the loss of her  
family's honor.  
  
She wasn't a woman anymore. Not since she   
had turned her back on anything having to  
do with being feminine. Nor was she a man,   
despite her best efforts to fit into that   
role. She could dress like them and she  
could talk like them, but she would never   
truly be one of them.  
  
Ukyo was a misfit in either world.   
  
And it was all *their* fault.  
  
Genma and Ranma would both pay for their crimes.  
There was no possible excuse for what they'd done.  
They'd tricked her once, but now she knew exactly  
what the honeyed lies of a thief were good for.  
  
Absolutely nothing.  
  
Just like the old tales about the family   
battle spatula being made from the remains   
of a gigantic horse-killer sword that her   
great-great-grandfather was supposed to   
have carried around a long time ago.   
  
Utter nonsense.   
  
.........  
  
As mansions went this one wasn't the finest,  
nor was it even remotely friendly in appearance.  
Then again, neither were its inhabitants.  
  
Tatewaki Kuno knelt before his family's elegant   
ancestral shrine. A gleaming katana was placed   
in the front, the Kuno family sword. Engraved on   
its handle in gold kanji was the Kuno family motto.  
  
Three cold and remorseless words   
which now stared back at him.  
  
Aku...  
  
..Soku...   
  
..Zan.  
  
Sin. Swift. Slay.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Chapter IV: First Strikes   
by Shade  
  
Disclaimer: If you think I own the series here,   
you're crazier then I am!  
  
~~~~~~  
Part A: All Good Things Must Come To An End  
~~~~~~  
  
It is said by many that space is a quiet place.  
  
Normally they're right.  
  
But not this time.  
  
*KABOOM*   
  
The scream of dying metal and flesh echoed across the void  
as a fast fading explosion briefly lit up the darkness.   
  
One of many that day.  
  
Over the gray skies of the planet Ristmoth, a humble   
Terra class planet that orbited a perfectly ordinary   
M class yellow star, a desperate battle raged on.  
  
Over five hundred heavy warships battered away at each other   
as thousands of individual dogfights took place between them.   
So small compared to these behemoths were they that the only   
visible sign of them was the intermittent displays of red laser   
fire and orange plasma bursts along with the occasional brief   
white flash as a volley of missiles, an individual fighter or   
(as was more often the case) both at once exploded in the cruel   
void between the stars.  
  
Among these dueling Titans a familiar shape shuddered   
as it was engulfed in explosion after explosion.  
  
"Damage Report!"  
  
Commander Ayla roared as the acrid smell of overloaded   
circuitry filled the bridge beyond the air recycler's   
ability to handle.  
  
Cursing slightly at a sparking panel that had blown out   
from the last hit, Sammy hit a few keys and read off   
from the readout that popped up.  
  
"Forward Shields down to 55%. Starboard Quad Cannons  
are off line..."  
  
A few of the red lights on her display exploded, sending hot bits in all   
directions. Despite this she went on, the deadly projectiles bouncing   
off her armor's protective faceplate.  
  
"...Main Guns still down. Auxiliary power has been   
temporarily knocked out, Engineering reports that   
it'll take at least ten minutes to get back."  
  
*ZZZZT*  
  
The small electrical blaze that broke out was quickly   
extinguished by a thick covering of white retardant foam   
from the ship's fire prevention system.  
  
"The rest of our shields are holding, barely."  
  
Another shudder passed through the hull as four Imperial   
Blood Furies resumed pounding on the Untamed Stallion's   
weakening defensive energy field. One on one the corvette's   
formidable weaponry was normally capable of dispatching  
these destroyers with minimal difficulty.  
  
But four of them ganging up on her at once while   
the main guns were still inoperable left the ship   
desperately fighting for her life.  
  
"Are our primary batteries ready to fire?"  
  
"Aye, Commander! Missile bays are standing by as well."  
  
"Target the lead destroyer's weakest facing shield and   
concentrate all fire on it. I want the secondary batteries   
to hit it as well."  
  
"Yes Ma'am! Shall I launch Missiles?"  
  
"Not yet. Beams only."  
  
"Understood."  
  
"Fire!"  
  
An intense swarm of blue green lights marked the path   
of medium laser cannons that lashed out from the Rebel  
ship against her opponent in a dazzling display of destruction.   
It was followed by a scattering of light particle beams   
and heavy plasma blasts from the secondary batteries.  
  
The scimitar shaped vessel's port shield flared up   
for a moment before going down in a fiery pyrotechnic   
display. Several of the lasers slipped past to gouge   
deeply into the enemy ship's blast scored armor.   
While not destroyed, that side was now badly weakened   
and open to further attack.  
  
No fool, the enemy captain immediately started to rotate   
his vessel to present a side with a active shield still up   
toward the Rebel ship while it licked its wounds. The other three  
warships continued to pour on the fire, ignoring their companion's   
plight in hopes of profiting from his loss. The Untamed Stallion was  
nimble enough to dodge some of the incoming attacks, but not all of them.  
The mighty starship trembled as its shields finally buckled and beams of   
destructive energy began to tear into the heavily armored hull.  
  
"Commander!?" Tania looked worried,   
even their reinforced armor couldn't   
take this kind of punishment for long.  
  
"Stand by with Proton Torpedoes." The transformed Dragon's   
jade eyes seemed to be searching for something on the viewscreen.  
Her hand came up and waited patiently for the sign.  
  
A large mushroom fireball bloomed forth from the unshielded side of  
the Imperial ship that had been wounded earlier. Smaller chain reactions   
went off as the antimatter containment fields for the main power reactor  
failed. Particles with opposite charges came in contact with each other...  
  
Another small star lit the night sky of Ristmoth.  
  
Ayla smiled grimly. The twins always did have a flair for the dramatic.  
  
{One down, three to go.}  
  
Two dark arrowshaped fighters zoomed above and below  
the expanding cloud of atomized particles. The familiar   
silhouettes of the Untamed Stallion's Katana Starfighters   
were a welcome sight to the crew.   
  
The radio crackled as the self proclaimed   
"Dirty Pair's" excited banter filled the bridge.  
  
"Good shot Sis!"  
  
"Now it's your turn to teach   
them the true terror of the   
Lovely Angels!"  
  
The Commander sweatdropped. Trust the Captain   
to have come up with such a bad nickname that   
just stuck to the resident ace pilots and certified   
maniacs. She cursed the moron who had told him about   
the mythical "Kei" and "Yuri", the most feared legends   
in all the Multiverse. Even the Gods didn't dare   
to utter those names aloud, for fear that the  
myths might actually turn out to be real.  
  
Though it *did* seem to be appropriate for  
Akiko and Yukio, especially considering how   
much damage they normally caused in a fight.  
  
Naturally the Kreeghor did what most sane people   
do when faced with a pair of crazy Turbojockies  
in their preferred vehicles of choice.  
  
They panicked.   
  
Any sense of formation disappeared as each ship   
tried to individually bring their armaments   
to bear on this new and far more immediate threat.   
The Imperial Forces tended to favor obedience over   
initiative or competency, this type of unexpected   
situation caught them with their tactical pants down.   
Their normal escort of power armors that was supposed   
to protect them from dangers like this had been shot   
to pieces earlier by the exceptional gunners aboard   
the Untamed Stallion.  
  
The Imps were in trouble. And they knew it.  
  
Yukio laughed out loud as she teasingly wove through   
the frantic hailstorm of defensive fire from her target   
and released two of her cruise missiles from her fighter's   
external pylons as she closed to point blank range.  
  
The speed of the warheads was such that they crossed the distance,  
slammed into the second Destroyer's shields and detonated in less   
then a second. Part of the blast reached out to lick at the Katana's   
shields but the fighter's barrier held as the Turbojocky maneuvered   
past to go after the next ship. The same could not be said for the   
Blood Fury, its weakened defensive energy field was no match for the   
full destructive fury of the antimatter devices. Although the hull   
was mostly unscathed the vessel was now ripe for the plucking without   
her shields.  
  
Ayla had been counting on that.   
Her eyes narrowed vengefully.  
  
"Missiles...FIRE!!"  
  
The Stallion's six long range launchers quickly spat out a rapid fire   
spread of glowing projectiles that homed in on the stricken enemy vessel.  
  
Twenty-four heavy proton torpedoes smashed into the hull of the   
Imperial ship one after another and exploded in an ever expanding   
chain of red fireballs. Unfortunate crew members caught in the heart   
of the blasts were dead before they ever realized it. Individual decks   
inside the destroyer blew apart, scattering razor sharp shards of metal   
and wiring that caused even more havoc as each explosion ripped deeper   
and deeper into the bowels of the doomed ship.  
  
The stress on its spine finally proved too much as the   
combined force from inertia and vibrations from the secondary   
explosions of the torpedo strike combined to literally rip   
the destroyer in two. The forward half immediately went dark   
as its power conduits were severed from the engines and started   
to drift.  
  
Eventually the wreck would be caught in Moth's gravity   
well and become a swarm of shooting stars burning up   
in the planet's atmosphere.  
  
The remaining Blood Furies began to run as the Twin's last batch   
of missiles knocked out their facing shields. Their gunners   
prevented the starfighters from finishing the job as both turned   
to prevent the Stallion from getting a clear target.  
  
Just in time to give the two Black Eagle Fighters coming in from behind   
a clean shot. While they carried only two anti-ship warheads apiece,  
against these relatively light warships two was more then enough.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
An audible sigh of relief passed across the bridge as the last two  
destroyers joined their brothers in the bleak darkness of the Void.  
That had been too close for comfort, another few minutes and they   
might not have made it. It had been a stroke of luck indeed for their  
fighters to have been in the enemy's blind spot, the emissions from   
their sublight engines masking the profiles of state of the art Katanas  
long enough for them to get close enough so that no point defense system   
could possibly intercept their deadly cargo in time.  
  
The Untamed Stallion had already engaged and destroyed six enemy ships   
and dozens of enemy fighters with minimal difficulty early in the battle.  
But then their luck had turned and the Escort Carrier that they'd managed to   
sneak up on and cripple got off a distress call before they could kill it.   
Though the risk had been high the crew couldn't resist taking out an enemy   
carrier, even if it was only a light version.   
  
The Maimers had closed in a entrapment formation to engage the corvette   
before the Untamed Stallion could engage its stealth systems and break   
away, forcing the ship to abandon her normal Hit and Fade tactics that made   
her so many times more deadly then its size would indicate and revert   
back to "Classic" space warfare.   
  
It had been a close call. But they were still   
alive and their attackers were now sucking vacuum.  
  
That was the good news.  
  
Then Sammy gave them the bad news.  
  
"That last barrage got us good, we're not   
going to be able to cloak again without a   
long stay at a Drydock."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Hornet and Falcon are coming back to reload, the Twins are  
standing by in holding pattern. What are your orders, Ma'am?"  
  
"Tania, patch us through to the tactical network."  
  
"Aye, Commander."  
  
Almost immediately after the delicate communications   
officer opened the channel the chaos of the ongoing   
battle filled the bridge.  
  
"Battleship Liberator keep those destroyers away from the medical frigate...  
Lost tactical defense quadrant 14....heavy enemy starfighter presence   
in Sector 3.....Alpha leader to Wolf Pack, we need a hole punched through   
that blockade line! Gold squadron, Liberty squadron cover them...copy Alpha   
lead-*SHRIEEK**Hissss*....I can't shake him!...Red five...I'm on him...  
I'm hit! I'm hit!! Argg-*Static*..Cruiser Vigilant begin EVAC recovery..."  
  
Wincing in apology Tania turned the volume down, though not before  
the rest of the officers felt their ears ringing slightly from the blaring  
roar of the Alliance's battle transmissions. Then one particular message   
caught everyone's attention.  
  
"...flagship under heavy enemy attack! Request all available   
units to assist HopeBringer!! Situation Critical!!"  
  
The blood seemed to freeze in Ayla's veins.  
  
If they lost their only Super Dreadnought along with Admiral Iblis,   
the Rebel fleet's coordination would fall apart and they'd be pounded   
to bits against the crushing weight of the Imperial blockade line.   
  
"You heard them people. MOVE!"  
  
They didn't need to be told twice.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
No love was lost between the Imperial Navy and the Rebel Fleet,   
the brutal atrocities of the Empire's finest had earned them   
the undying hatred of the Freedom Fighters and the stubborness   
of a few planets that refused to bow down to the military might   
of the Kreeghor threatened the Trans-galactic Juggernaught's very   
way of life. So it was with savage fury that these bitterest of   
enemies smashed into each other with weapons of matter and energy,   
kamikaze attempts from both sides were not uncommon as helpless   
damaged vessels tried to take a few more of the enemy with them   
into oblivion.  
  
The heaviest concentration of fighting had gradually shifted   
to engulf the Alliance's flagship. While initially the HopeBringer's   
heavy firepower had managed to hold the upper hand for the first   
few minutes of the engagement, as more and more enemy ships engaged   
the gigantic warship and her escorts gradually the sheer numbers began   
to take their toll.  
  
One by one the protecting cluster of Battleships and Cruisers that made up  
her taskforce had been eliminated, leaving the symbol of the Free Worlds   
alone and in big trouble. Over thirty Kreeghor Smashers and Berserkers   
had the lone Doombringer super dreadnought pinned down now, a smaller   
group of twenty four Ripper gunships and Deathclaw battlecruisers backed   
by a full twelve squadrons of Fang interceptors blocked all attempts by   
the Alliance to relieve their beleaguered flagship as well as making it   
impossible for the HopeBringer to retreat. Any vessel big enough to be of   
aid could never slip past all of the watching sensors and would be engaged by   
the capital ships, while fighters didn't have enough firepower on their own   
to make a difference and would be picked off by the Intercepters.   
  
Six Rebel battleships were currently at the very fringes of the life or death   
drama playing out, held back by the missile volleys of the DeathClaws and high   
intensity laser barrages of the oversized Gunships. Their protective escort   
of fighters were unable to aid them, as they had their hands full fighting off   
the Kreeghor's elite pilots.  
  
A gambling man would have bet every penny he had that   
the Alliance Dreadnought was doomed. The chances of   
a rescue attempt getting through that massed firepower   
was astronomical, the likelihood of it succeeding even less so.  
  
But the Untamed Stallion had a nasty habit of beating the odds.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Into the Breach  
  
"Black Eagles are reloaded and ready to go.   
Just give them the word, Commander."  
  
"Auxillary power reestablished. Reaper Turrent back online."  
  
"My board is green, looks like they haven't seen us yet."  
  
"Tactical situation analysis coming in. Punching it up now."  
  
"Engineering here, we've almost locked down the auxillery   
power conduit on Deck 4. Give me another couple of minutes  
and we should be have the Main Guns up and running again."  
  
With a smooth efficiency they prepared to carry out  
what most people would consider a suicide mission.   
  
For this crew, it was just another job they had to do.  
  
"All right people, time to earn our princely paychecks again."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-There's a Stick in Your Eye  
  
"He's late."  
  
"Take it easy, Murray.   
The Alliance is paying   
us enough to wait for him."  
  
"I still don't like it, Captain."  
  
The first mate went back to cradling his power halberd.  
Over 3 meters tall, the seljuk bore an uncanny resemblence  
to the predatory dinosaurs that his kind had descended   
from.   
  
Captain William Borshenko shook his head at his friend's impatience.   
His shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes combined with   
his Nordic features gave him the appearence of a Viking  
of old. One of the more notorious Runners of the Three Galaxies,   
he was also someone who could be relied on to keep his word.  
  
"Don't worry, this'll be a piece of cake.   
Just pick up one agent and their cargo   
and drop them off at the nearest Freeworld   
base. Simple as that."  
  
"I still think that contract was too good to be true."  
  
"Oh c'mon, what could possibly go wrong?"  
  
At that exact moment an out of control hovercycle  
with two panicking riders came crashing down.   
  
The bike's underside screeched like an Argalian hyena   
in labor as it bounced and skidded right towards them.  
  
"Look out!!"  
  
"Get outta the way!!"  
  
The surprised captain and his first mate dived to   
either side to avoid a potentially fatal collision   
with this duo who were obviously insane, intoxicated,   
or both.  
  
Seeing that they weren't going to stop in time  
Nicholas finally hit the emergency ejection system.  
  
The seat, with both Nick and Katrina clinging desperately   
to it, blasted straight up as a brief but powerful rocket   
booster kicked in. The hovercycle, now totally out of control,  
continued on for several hundred meters before smashing right   
into the side of a cargo shuttle. Under normal conditions  
such a hit would have done little more then leave a few   
minor dents in the hull and totally obliterated the bike.  
  
Unfortunately, *this* shuttle had been in the middle of refueling.  
Even worse, it had an ion drive. Which required large quantities   
of (relatively) cheap *hydrogen* fuel. And the bike rammed one   
of the enormous fuel lines head on.  
  
The resulting explosion was seen from as far as a mile away.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Brave, Suicidal, or just plain Nuts?  
  
They went in hard and fast.  
  
Three Interceptors directly in the way died in plasma   
fireballs, never even seeing the ship that killed them.  
  
Without her cloaking device to hide them from hostile   
sensors they had to rely on their active ECM systems   
to blind the enemy's electronic eyes and ears.   
It was a long shot, but it was all they had to work with.  
  
Her own fighters stayed tight against the Stallion's flanks   
as she bore down on the blockade at maximum military acceleration,   
hiding their weaker radar profiles inside her sensor shadow.  
  
Despite her attempt at stealth a pair of Gunships   
spotted the corvette in time to attempt an intercept.  
  
Before they even got into their energy range   
the Stallion's Grim Reaper opened up on them.  
  
At 10 tons, the heavily armored "Reaper" gravity mega-cannon  
was the third largest weapon system mounted on the Rebel  
ship. Its rate of fire was over 300 rounds per minute.  
Each shell was composed of pure tritonium and was no bigger   
then the average golf ball. When fired, the kinetic energy   
imparted to an individual round was comparable to that of   
old style atomic weapons.  
  
The volley smashed into the two Rippers like a Hammer of God.  
  
For those aboard the doomed vessels it   
was their own little front seat to Hell.   
  
Shields flared and died, Mega-damage alloy   
screamed and buckled, and the tiny lives  
aboard the ships were mercilessly blown  
out of existance by the lethal bombardment.  
  
The Untamed Stallion never slowed as she   
passed the gutted remains of the Gunships.  
  
She was after bigger game.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Stick It Where the Sun Don't Shine!  
  
"Borshenko?"  
  
The captain gave the man an odd look.  
  
"Speaking. Who the hell are you two lunatics?"  
  
"I'm your ride."  
  
Murray snorted.  
  
"I knew it! 'Easy mission' he said, 'don't worry' he said. Hah!"  
  
Shooting a dirty look at the gloating seljuk,  
Will was quick to note the discrepency between  
what he'd been told and the reality.  
  
"We were told to expect one passenger and cargo."  
  
Nick shrugged unapologetically.  
  
"She's the cargo."   
  
Now it was Sun's turn to glare at him.  
  
"Who are you calling CARGO?"  
  
The Rebel agent at least had the grace to look a little sheepish.  
  
"We weren't sure what to expect earlier,   
so to keep our cover we decided to book  
the space for cargo rather then another  
passenger."  
  
"You are *so* dead if we get out of this alive."  
  
Will gave Katrina an admiring look.  
An established ladies man, he had   
wasted no time in figuring that this  
particular adventurer was cut above   
the rest.  
  
"Any preferences as to our departure time?"  
  
"Right now would be good. We left some Imperial problems back there."  
  
Nick jerked a thumb back in the direction he and Sun had come from.  
  
"Bloody sodding hell!"  
  
"Take it easy, Murray."  
  
Borshenko tapped the communicater   
attached to his shirt's collar.  
  
"Get ready to lift off now, Auntie.   
Our fare needs a quick exit."  
  
"Trouble?"  
  
"Probably. Better warm up the guns  
while you're at it."  
  
"Aye aye, Captain. Auntie out."  
  
The four of them moved quickly toward the ship.  
  
Unnoticed, a solitary figure watched   
their progress from a distance.  
  
And smiled.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-The Heat Is On  
  
"Well, they know we're here."  
  
She'd hoped that they'd be able to get closer first,  
but they had to play the hand that had been dealt  
to them.  
  
"Engineering, I need those Main Guns back up now!"  
  
"Three more minutes!"  
  
Three minutes. Might as well have been an eternity.  
  
Smasher class heavy cruisers had been the standard   
ships of line for the Imperial Navy for almost three   
hundred years. They were built to last and no slouches  
in the weapons department either. Only in the last few   
decades had the Empire begun to replace them with the new   
Slayer class battlecruiser, the most infamous example of   
which was the Dark Impaler commanded by none other then  
the Untamed Stallion's nemesis "Ironclaw" Jarenz. But it  
would be centuries before Smashers were fully phased out  
of Imperial service, and without her heaviest weapons   
available the Rebel corvette's chances against the even  
dozen currently pounding away on the command ship were grim.  
  
"Enemy Fangs incoming!"  
  
Ayla swore softly as several squadrons of fighters   
broke off from the main attack and began to close   
in on them.  
  
"We're on them, Control."  
  
The four fighters that had been sticking close   
to the corvette altered course and split into   
two pairs to intercept.  
  
"Keep it quick Meia. We don't have time to tangle it up with them."  
  
"Rodger."  
  
The Squadron Leader's cool voice was all business.  
  
"You heard her ladies. Pick your targets for the   
first pass and go, but remember our main targets   
are the Smashers. Stick around for an engagement   
and those Imps will be all over your ass.  
  
"Dibs on the ones to the left!"  
  
"No fair! You called dibs last time!"  
  
"Cut the chatter! Here they come!!"  
  
Space erupted in light and fury   
as the Rebel squadron recklessly dove   
into the heart of the Imperial formation.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Among the Living  
  
The transition from semi-consciousness   
to full awareness was almost instantaneous.  
  
He awoke to find the pain from his injuries   
almost entirely gone. Although still greatly   
weakened it seemed that this Cosmoknight   
would live to fight another day.  
  
That still didn't stop him from berating   
himself as he looked up at the unfamilar   
ceiling.  
  
{Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Drizzt would   
have disowned me as his student twice over  
if he'd seen that fiasco. Once for letting them   
get the drop on me, the other for not having   
a backup plan in case my first one didn't work.}  
  
Carefully Ranma pulled himself up to a sitting position.  
He winced as various parts of his body suddenly complained   
about this movement. He was alive and mostly in one piece,   
but obviously his body wasn't in much better condition   
then that.  
  
{Where am I?}  
  
Ranma studied the dressings on his shoulder and chest   
curiously, he had considerable (firsthand) experience   
with this kind of thing and could recognize exceptional   
handiwork when he saw it. Whoever had bandaged him up   
had known what they were doing. Surprising, especially   
since he was pretty certain that this wasn't a hospital   
or a clinic.  
  
A good thing too, as any doctor worthy of the title   
wouldn't have taken long to discover several very   
alarming differences between his body and that of   
your average ordinary human being.  
  
Like the fact that no normal syringe   
on Earth was capable of penetrating   
his skin, though there were many witnesses   
of the feminine gender who could vouch   
that it certainly *felt* human enough.  
  
{What's the last thing I remember?}  
  
Cushioning his head as he fell...  
  
Large, nicely tanned and ever so soft...  
  
{...Breasts?! That can't be right! Can it?}  
  
"Oh! You're awake."  
  
The other voice came as a complete surprise.  
  
{Gah!?}  
  
Ranma turned and found himself staring   
into the eyes of one of the most beautiful  
women he had ever seen. How had she managed   
to sneak up on him like that?!  
  
"We were worried for awhile, your injuries were quite severe."  
  
"Ah..."  
  
For some reason this woman reminded him of Kasumi.  
But despite her incredible beauty, he did not feel   
the same sharp hunger that Sailor Pluto had aroused within   
him. This woman possessed a powerful sense of presence   
that literally took his breath away. It was like being   
wrapped in a soft down comforter by a cheery fire,   
warm and soothing. For some reason he was reminded   
of his mother.  
  
"Oh, I've forgotten to introduce myself.   
My name is Belldandy. Welcome to our home."  
  
He was abruptly reminded by her introduction   
of other, more ancient codes of conduct.   
Her rendering of aid had placed him in   
obligation to her.   
  
"Ranma. Ranma Saotome."  
  
And he was a man who always repaid his debts.  
  
"I suspect that I owe you my life, Belldandy-dono."(1)  
  
He was surprised when she blushed at the honorific.  
  
"Please, just Belldandy is fine."  
  
"As you wish...Belldandy. I am in your debt."  
  
She shook her head in polite negation.  
  
"You don't owe me anything, Ranma.   
Being able to save a life is reward enough."  
  
Such gentle honesty was rare, even among those he called friends  
and allies. This kind of innate purity helped keep his   
faith in humanity and the other "civilized" races alive.   
  
But a promise was a promise was a promise.  
  
"Never the less, if there is anything within   
my power to do for you, you need only ask."  
  
His voice, while still softly polite,   
was also solid with honest determination.  
  
Seeing no other recourse, Belldandy accepted with a polite nod.  
  
She was rewarded by a slight relaxation in his features,  
and the return of the curiosity in his eyes that she had  
seen when he first turned to look at her.  
  
"Is it uncomfortable?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Your suit, it looks broken."  
  
Ranma looked down at himself.  
  
{I forgot all about that!}  
  
"Thank you for reminding me, that completely slipped my mind."  
  
He concentrated on his armor.  
  
The dark material flashed and suddenly became   
a thousand shining silver motes of light that   
softly descended all around him and evaporated   
before they ever touched the floor.  
  
In its place was revealed the pig tailed hero,   
wearing the same clothes that he'd had on earlier   
before transforming into his Cosmic form.  
  
He gave the goddess an innocent look.  
  
"Is this better?"  
  
"Oh my, yes."  
  
Not that his attire was out of the way,   
Ranma's curiosity had returned.  
  
"So what's a nice goddess like you doing in Japan?"  
  
Her face brightened.  
  
"Well you see, it all started three years ago when I visited Keiichi..."  
  
Belldandy started pouring the tea that she had brought   
into two cups without ever interrupting her story.  
  
Ranma smiled back as he took one. It smelled wonderful.  
  
He started to make himself as comfortable as he could   
under the circumstances. This was probably going to   
take a little while.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Where there's smoke...  
  
Their fighters had managed to disrupt most of   
the Fangs, causing more confusion in their ranks   
then actual damage. A few of them actually managed  
to make it to the Untamed Stallion where they were   
greeted by a barrage of short range missiles from   
her launchers and a mixed assortment of lasers and   
particle beams from the remaining armored turrents   
scattered across the ship's hull.   
  
Fewer still survived the encounter intact,   
and none of the fleeing survivers were eager   
to come to grips with the deadly Rebel ship   
any time soon.  
  
That fact did not go unnoticed by the rest of the Imperials.  
Finally they realized the threat that was rapidly approaching  
their positions and reacted.   
  
"We're being hit with active radar pulses!"   
  
Alarms started blaring from Sammy's console.  
  
"They've got missile lock!!"  
  
The tactical map that was projected onto the main screen  
showed numerous electronic yellow triangles circled in   
blinking red making their way toward the blue dot representing  
their ship. Probable tractories and assignment of threat   
priorities flashed rapidly and danced across the screen   
as the ship's sensors fed the main tactical computer a   
constant stream of updates.   
  
It was only a ranging volley, the distance was   
still long even for capital ship missiles.  
But the total number of warheads launched   
was still more then enough for the Stallion's  
crew to take them seriously.  
  
"Engage countermeasures!"  
  
Dozens of counter-missiles raced out to engage   
and destroy the approaching warheads. Upon  
reaching a preset distance from the ship the  
larger ones detonated and blossomed into a   
sea of thermo-nuclear flame.  
  
Missiles died by the score as they were consumed  
in the hearts of miniature suns, others that passed   
through did so blindly, their electronic brains   
fried by EMP. (2)  
  
Smaller counter-missiles went directly for   
their targets, burning out their drives to   
reach short term accelerations that exceeded  
even the full thrust of capital ship missiles.   
  
Their warheads contained only a fraction of  
the destructive power that their larger brothers  
possessed. Yet that was more then enough  
to not only destroy the missiles they hit,  
but also detonate *their* much more destructive   
warheads too. More often then not, the blasts  
took out other missiles nearby, resulting in  
the domino effect of missile fratricide.  
  
As the remainder of the swarm closed,  
a hail of railgun rounds swept out from  
rapid firing armored mounts scattered across  
the ship, tearing apart anything that got in   
their way.  
  
The barrage killed more of the warheads,   
but the harried survivers stubbornly   
continued on.  
  
The Stallion's Defense Grid was waiting for them.  
  
Forty eight computer controlled point defense  
lasers emitted rods of solid light in a dazzling  
protective blue web of such mathmatical complexity   
that the effect was as beautiful as it was lethal.  
  
The last warhead died barely fifty meters from the corvette's hull.  
  
And then it was their turn.  
  
The Rebel ship's replying volley was comprised entirely   
of spoofers and jammers, every electronic warfare bird  
remaining in her arsenal was launched in a single flight.  
  
The effect was simply devastating.  
  
Imperial targeting systems were flooded with not thousands,  
but *millions* of false targets. Sensor consoles crashed   
from the influx of impossible data being fed to them.   
Missile fire controls burned out from the sheer power   
of the ECM being thrown at them.  
  
It bought the Stallion precious time as the enemy scrambled   
to bring their systems back on line. The rain of missiles being   
launched at them died down to scattered individual launches   
that were easily picked off by the corvette's anti-missile  
defenses.  
  
And then over the intercom came the sweetest   
words that the Commander had ever heard from   
the chief engineer.  
  
"Main Guns Operational!"  
  
The nearest cruiser had just begun to turn   
in order to bring its devastating Energy Lance  
to bear on them. One of the great flaws of   
earlier Imperial designs were that while powerful,   
most of their heavy beam weapons were mounted   
on fixed positions. This allowed them to throw   
a considerable amount of firepower forward,   
but it also limited their weapons' arc of fire   
to a narrow cone in front of the ship.   
  
Normally this wouldn't have mattered against   
any ship lighter then a heavy cruiser, since  
even factoring in the approaching Rebel ship's  
incredible acceleration the Smasher would still be   
able to complete its turn and open fire while remaining   
well outside the range of the medium laser cannons that   
comprised her primary batteries.   
  
But this time, arrogance cost the Kreeghor dearly.  
  
On the main screen a blue targeting icon   
bracketed the Smasher and went red as it   
acquired a firing solution.  
  
"Kill that cruiser!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-The Lady *IS* the Tiger  
  
"Hey sis, is that guy awake ye-HELLO NURSE!!"  
  
Urd stared.   
  
She couldn't help it.  
  
She'd thought-er-she'd *hoped* that their patient   
would turn out to be at least easy on the eyes.  
  
Her earlier assumptions had been all wrong.  
  
This guy wasn't cute at all.   
  
He was absolutely Gorgeous!  
  
{I want to make him mine!}  
  
"Oh Urd, this is Ranma. Ranma, my older sister Urd."  
  
"Hi."  
  
The Cosmoknight recognized her as the one he'd had to carry   
around (which he *really* hoped she'd forgotten about by now).  
  
Then he noticed that she was just staring at him   
with a predatory intensity while scarlet bloomed   
in her cheeks.  
  
He sweatdropped  
  
{Okay, *now* I'm worried.}  
  
~~~~~~~~  
-Speak softly and carry a...  
  
Oversized.   
Ugly.   
Slow.   
Power sinkholes.   
Impractical.   
A waste of money.   
Impossible.  
  
Every person who'd first heard of what   
the Captain had planned to do had told   
him some or all of the above.  
  
Even Silvia, who was obsessed with almost every type of   
technological gadget imaginable, had told Captain Saotome   
that he was "Outta u're bleedin no'ggin to ins'all thee'   
monstrosities!"  
  
What they had been talking about was the   
refit of the Untamed Stallion's main guns.  
Ranma had ordered the original Beta VII medium   
laser cannons pulled out and replaced them with  
a pair of Mark II Heavy Particle Beam Cannons.   
  
Super Dreadnought Class weapons whose design   
had been retired from active service in every   
modern fleet of the Three Galaxies for over   
six hundred years.   
  
Each cannon was 100 meters long, almost a third   
the length of the ship itself. Mounted on two   
enormous armored structural pylons like the   
ends of a giant tuning fork, they *were* the   
front of the ship.   
  
As a result of their size their firing arc was   
restricted, although nowhere near as limited as an   
Imperial Horn Cannon, to a 40 degree cone centered   
on the front of the ship.   
  
And then there were the power requirements.  
  
The energy required to fire these monsters  
was almost 40% of the Untamed Stallion' total   
power output in *addition* to what their   
own internal generators produced. It also took   
27.741 seconds for the giant capacitators in   
the cannons to build up the required charge for   
each shot, and 1.865 seconds to cool the   
firing chambers afterwards so that the blasts   
wouldn't melt the cannons themselves, thus   
limiting their rate of fire to no more then   
one blast every 30 seconds.  
  
In an age where miniaturization had reduced the  
average size of capital ship's energy mounts to   
two tons or less and given them an average firing   
cycle of 3-7 seconds, they were antiques.   
  
Obsolete pieces of junk that should have been scrapped long ago.  
  
At least to everyone but Captain Saotome.  
  
Because he had recognized the one thing that made up for it all.  
  
For all their flaws, despite all the headaches   
they brought, the Mark II's were reputed to be   
the biggest, nastiest sons of bitches ever built   
for a ship of the line. Nothing less then a battlecruiser   
had the armor or the shields to survive a direct hit   
from one of those cannons, let alone two. Their  
effective range was also over ten times that of   
an Imperial Energy Lance, giving the Stallion a   
degree of fire superiority unmatched by any existing   
light or medium class warship within the Three Galaxies.  
  
And once again they proved their worth.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The only warning was a hellish white glare  
that flashed out from the front of the corvette.   
Then two super-energized particle streams raced   
out from the ship at the speed of light. No sooner   
had they left then their preprogrammed vectors collided   
and *merged* into a brilliant wave of pure annihilation.  
  
For a ten thousandth of a second   
the beam connected the two distant   
vessels to each other.   
  
Then the Smasher's far side bulged outward and vaporized  
as the heavy particle beam passed through and out,   
eating through forcefields and armor as though they   
were so much cotton candy. There were no explosions at first,   
every solid object directly in the beam's path had been   
completely disintergrated.   
  
Atmosphere rushed out through the giant holes in the cruiser's sides   
as decompression set in. Omnisteel bulkheads collapsed inwards   
like broken eggshells, crushing anything unfortunate enough to   
get in the way.   
  
Emergency systems struggled in vain to contain the damage.  
Pressure locks slammed shut, but for much of the destruction  
there simply wasn't anything left to close, and several decks   
gave way as the pressure loss exceeded their structural capacity.  
  
Inside one of those decks was the cruiser's armory,  
which housed scores of capital ship missiles.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Captain Kazorh Darkshar of the Imperial Cruiser 'Smite'  
witnessed with a mixture of horror and disbelief as   
his ship's division mate 'Brawler' blew up in a frenzied   
orgy of self destruction. Stored anti-matter warheads   
detonated like a chain of dominos inside the cruiser's guts,   
each fresh explosion triggering dozens more that reduced   
the warship to white hot plasma in the space of two heartbeats.  
  
{What in the Seven Hells was THAT?! It couldn't have   
come from that ship! A corvette isn't supposed to   
mount that kind of firepower!!}  
  
"Sir, we're picking up a binary theta radiation   
signature in that ship's drive emissions."  
  
The sensor operator's face was deathly pale.  
  
Darkshar suspected it had turned almost   
as white as his own had upon hearing   
the report.  
  
{Emperor's Black Bones!}  
  
There was only one FTL drive in the entire   
Three Galaxies that had a binary theta emission.  
  
{The Untamed Stallion! That's the UNTAMED STALLION!!}  
  
He'd had the standard briefing of course,   
every officer in the Imperial Navy knew about  
Captain Saotome and his unusual vessel.   
  
An experimental corvette stolen before it could   
be delivered to the Empire. Nearly destroyed   
during the Battle of Belicorn, then rebuilt   
to the size of a light cruiser. The drive field   
used a proto-gravitronic conversion array that   
was 35% more efficent then anything either   
the Empire or the Consortium currently had,   
but also leaked trace amounts of quasi-quantum quarks   
as a side effect of the mass-energy conservation   
transfer.   
  
There had always been numerous rumors floating around in   
the Empire for years that the Untamed Stallion carried   
something *extra* in the way of armament. Especially   
given its kill ratio of destroyers and other light   
warship classes that commonly served as escorts for   
the transports and cargo ships which were a pirate's   
favorite prey. But due to a deciding lack of surviving   
first hand witnesses, that had never been accurately   
confirmed through offical channels.  
  
{Well now we know for sure,   
for all the good that it does now!}  
  
The Smite's captain was many things.   
  
But dumb wasn't one of them.  
  
"Pull the ship back! Do it now!!"  
  
"Yes sir!"  
  
The Smasher angled sharply up and away,   
desperately putting distance between itself   
and the Rebel ship in an attempt to get out   
of the reach of its longer ranged cannons.  
  
The Stallion's ECM bombardment had proved hellishly   
effective against their standardized systems,  
degrading missile fire control to such an extent   
that they couldn't achieve the coordination  
necessary to saturate the corvette's point defense.  
  
Until they could reestablish their datalinks   
the only way they could currently engage that   
ship would be from within the *Stallion's*   
energy envelope.   
  
And with that kind of firepower advantage,   
trying to close to beam range now would be   
an act of suicide.  
  
{But once we get our launchers back up,  
then it'll be *their* turn to burn.}   
  
A ship that size couldn't mount more then one   
or two capital missile launchers at best,  
and missile ranges were much longer then   
that of even the most powerful energy weapon.  
  
Captain Kazorh nodded to himself.  
The initial panic had passed,  
and his customary cool logic  
reasserted itself.  
  
{It managed to get the drop on us, but is still only one ship.   
We're going to get hurt, but time is on our side.   
Once our systems are back up we'll be able to throw enough missiles   
that not even their defenses will be able to stop them all.}  
  
They weren't beat yet, not by a long shot.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"How long till the Main Guns recharge?"  
  
Their desperate gambit had worked   
better then Ayla had dared hope.  
  
"Sixteen seconds to go."  
  
They were now almost in range of the   
Hopebringer and had taken only one   
hit so far in return for their progress.   
  
A lucky warhead fired wildly from one   
of the Berserkers had been missed by   
their defenses. But that had been   
the only one that got through and   
their shields had held firm against   
the blast.   
  
But it wouldn't last.   
  
The Commander understood the fundamental weakness   
of their position. Although they had managed to   
disrupt the main group attacking the Command Ship,   
whoever was in charge of those cruisers knew what   
they were doing.   
  
The Imps were moving outward to englobe the Stallion,  
reducing the number of potential targets for the heavy  
particle beam cannons. Although more manueverable then  
the Smashers, the corvette's current acceleration reduced  
its ability to change its heading by any significant margin.  
  
Once the Imperials got their missiles back   
their spread out formation would catch   
the Stallion in a crossfire. That would  
force them to divide their point defense,   
lowering accuracy and volume coverage.  
  
And the next round would be no mere ranging volley.  
  
"Engage the Berserkers with missiles.   
And if you manage acquire a torpedo lock  
on any of those cruisers, take the shot."  
  
"With pleasure!"  
  
The helmswoman's fingers danced across the controls.  
  
Two capital launchers went to constant rapid fire,   
sending 48 missiles per minute scorching in on the   
Imperial war frigates.   
  
At the same time the Stallion's sensors focused  
on one of the closest enemy cruisers and began  
the laborious task of decrypting the energy   
frequency of the forcefield shielding her target.  
  
~~~~~~  
-A Life for a Life  
  
"So you see, it was all Mara's fault."  
  
Urd continued to devour their guest with   
her eyes even after she had finished her  
story of the earlier events.  
  
"Mara?"  
  
"A Demoness First Class."  
  
Something dangerous flashed in Ranma's eyes,  
but he gave no other outward reaction upon   
hearing that interesting tidbit of information.  
  
"She likes to cause us trouble every now and then.   
But I truly believe that she possesses a good heart   
underneath it all."  
  
Ranma was nothing short of astonished to hear  
a *goddess* of all people defending a demon.  
But looking into Belldandy's eyes, the Knight  
found himself starting to understand her.   
  
{She really cares about this Mara. Her words come straight from her heart.}  
  
And yet...  
  
{I can't let a demoness run loose. She has to be dealt with,   
one way or another. The current situation is unstable enough   
already. I don't need this to worry about too. Hell and damnation!!   
Why couldn't I have gotten a "head's up" from the Forge *before*   
getting into this mess!!}  
  
Something from his conflicting thoughts must have shown on his face,   
because suddenly Belldandy turned toward him with a serious expression   
on her face.  
  
"You won't hurt her, will you?"  
  
He couldn't meet her gaze.  
  
"Please."  
  
Urd watched with some concern as she saw  
her younger sister's eyes start to shimmer.  
A tearful Belldandy always gave her a panicky  
sensation in the pit of her stomach.  
  
It had a similar effect on the Cosmoknight.  
  
With a small sigh of defeat, he conceded.  
  
"As you wish, Belldandy. I won't harm this Mara, you have my word on it."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Ranma met her smile with a sheepish look.  
  
{Just the hint of tears and I fall apart. Damn, I'm pathetic.}  
  
Ishtar was just going to *love* this when she found out.  
  
Speaking of which, wasn't he forgetting something?  
  
{Uh oh!}  
  
~~~~~~  
-Countdown  
  
{We're running out of time.}  
  
The numbers scrolled coldly down   
the readout of her seat's left arm.  
  
They'd killed two more cruisers so far,  
with another one so badly damaged that   
it was limping away from the engagement.  
  
But that still left eight Smashers   
with the fourteen surviving Berserkers   
and four regrouped squadrons of Fangs in support.  
  
And the battle computer's best projection  
gave them only a few more minutes before  
the Imps restored their tactical networks.   
Which would leave them with the worst   
of both worlds. Still too far away to support   
the flagship, but easy meat for the ships   
surrounding them.  
  
"Meia and the others are making their runs."  
  
Ayla turned her head back towards the main screen.  
  
{Damn it all! There has to be something else   
we can do to keep up the pressure!}  
  
~~~~~~~  
-Departure  
  
"Are you sure that you won't spend the night?   
It wouldn't be any trouble at all."  
  
"Yes, we've got *plenty* of space in *my* room."  
  
The darkly tanned goddess was starting to make him nervous.  
Urd's behavior reminded him far too much of certain brassy   
crewmembers from the Untamed Stallion. What was it with   
women and their weird obsession with sex anyway?  
  
"Thanks, but no thank you. I've already imposed enough."  
  
{Not to mention that the Tendos and my father   
are probably wondering where the heck I am right   
now. Hopefully I'll be able to think of something   
before I get back.}  
  
Before he left the temple, Ranma pressed   
a small token into Belldandy's hands.  
  
"If you ever need my help, just call and I'll be there."  
  
The goddess nodded in understanding.  
  
"You will always be welcome here.   
Please be sure to visit us again."  
  
"Yes, I'd like that. Until next time then."  
  
He turned and walked away from the old temple.   
In mere moments the young man disappeared into   
the darkening streets.  
  
"Do you think he'll really come back?  
  
Urd looked slightly down, she missed him already.  
  
"Yes. And I suspect it will be sooner then we think."  
  
Belldandy went back inside to get dinner ready.  
  
But her older sister stayed outside, watching and wondering.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-The Need for Speed  
  
"Make these count, people."  
  
Meia and her wing(wo)man started closing   
to attack range of their target, weaving   
in a tight spiral to avoid anti-fighter   
fire from their target's gravity rail guns.  
  
"Rodger that."  
  
Yukio took the lead as the Katanas split  
up to go after their own individual cruisers.   
Unlike the Eagles, their fighters were carrying   
enough capital missiles to make their own   
seperate attack runs.  
  
The screen of Intercepters was already   
too far out to stop them. That just left   
the anti-fighter turrets and mini-missile  
launchers to watch out for. It was really  
a pity, since the twins would have enjoyed   
the added challenge.  
  
{Oh well, we'll make do.}  
  
Giggling like a schoolgirl the Turbojockey  
watched the distance between herself  
and her target evaporate like smoke   
as she dived for the kill.  
  
50 miles.  
  
The twin thrills of speed and the accompanying danger   
were what she and her sister lived for. In fact,   
those had been the *only* things they'd used to live   
for before being recruited aboard the Untamed Stallion.   
  
40 miles.  
  
Now the twins had two loves in life. Flying and Ranma.  
  
And since one wasn't available right now,   
they would make do with the other until  
they could get their hands on him again.  
  
30 miles.  
  
A flick of a switch armed the warheads.  
She was carrying a full load of FCAMs  
with heavy anti-matter payloads.(3)  
  
The Imps weren't going to enjoy this one bit.  
  
20 miles.  
  
The cruiser was already dead in her sights,  
but Yukio's Katana continued to close.  
She already had an iron solid lock,   
but she wasn't about to give this  
bastard any chance to intercept.   
  
10 miles.  
  
That meant a zero range launch.  
  
With less then .1 seconds for point defense  
to track, lock on, and fire, the possibility   
of stopping her missiles would be   
"a snowflake's chance in hell."  
  
5 miles.  
  
The range continued to fall.  
  
{Almost there.}  
  
2 mi-  
  
"Missiles away!"  
  
Four FCAMs belched from the Katana's internal racks  
and smashed into the Smasher's shield in the blink   
of an eye. The explosion blew through the energy barrier  
like a sledgehammer striking glass, but its destruction  
weakened the blast that actually hit the ship itself.   
  
Armor slagged and twisted, yet the total damage was minor.  
  
But that was okay.   
  
Because Yukio had a little surprise for them.  
  
"Burn baby, burn!"  
  
From her weapon pods came four more FCAMs,  
and this time there were no shields to stop   
them.  
  
~~~~~~~  
-There Is No Cow Level  
  
The range had closed enough for the ship's   
six long range launchers to add to the fray.   
  
Dozens of third generation anti-matter warheads   
smashed against shields and armor as the pitful  
point defense of the frigates were overwhelmed.  
The Berserkers were missile ships, with powerful  
launchers but relatively few other weapons.   
  
One died. Then another.   
  
But it still wasn't enough.  
  
The fighters had turned more three cruisers   
into air bleeding wrecks, but the Intercepters   
had closed up behind them and were now directly  
between them and the corvette. Tied up in dogfights,  
Meia and the others wouldn't get back in time  
to make any difference.  
  
And the Berserkers were starting to shoot back.  
  
They still couldn't coordinate their attacks,  
but each frigate could put out four 20 missile   
volleys a minute. With a dozen of them still   
operational,the corvette's anti-missile defenses   
worked overtime to keep the valiant vessel alive.   
Only the fact that the Imps couldn't synchronize   
their fire together gave the Stallion any chance   
at all.  
  
And despite their best efforts   
a few still managed to get through.  
  
They died against the shields, but each hit weakened   
the corvette's energy barrier a little more.   
  
{It's not over yet!}  
  
"Navigation, how long till we reach the command ship?"  
  
"We'll enter effective support range in eighty seconds."  
  
An alert began flashing on the main screen.  
  
-Warning-  
-ECM field has expired.-   
-Enemy Datanets now active.-  
  
{Damn it all, not now! ...Wait a sec, what's that?!}  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Missile targeting is back online, Captain."  
  
"Good work, commander. All missile bays,   
lock on to the Untamed Stallion."  
  
The other remaining cruisers and their   
escorts were already turning their launchers   
toward the corvette. Darkshar settled back   
into his command chair and prepared to watch   
the Rebel ship die.  
  
"Fi-"  
  
"Enemy missiles incoming!!"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Look at those birds go!!"  
  
The whoop of victory came from the communications officer,   
but just this once Ayla decided to let it slide in light   
of the reason for her behavior.  
  
The entire bridge crew's eyes were fixed on the main   
screen where over eighty fighters led the way for   
three battleships and a pair of starcruisers.  
  
The outnumbered Fangs began to flee,  
but the Stallion's fighters now took   
a savage toll on the Imps as they   
turned to run.  
  
Even as the crew watched the comm crackled   
and a voice from the approaching strikeforce   
started coming over the speakers.  
  
"This is Captain Dominic of the Tempest.   
Thanks for punching us a hole, Stallion.  
But those cruisers seem to have you a bit   
outnumbered. Break off, you've done your job.  
Now let us do ours."  
  
The starcruisers' heavy missile batteries pounded   
relentlessly on the Smashers while the battleships   
turned their own mixed assortment of missile   
and energy batteries on the Berserkers.  
  
"You heard him, people. Time to move it or lose it!"  
  
The Stallion veered sharply to the left,   
putting distance between itself and the carnage  
taking place. Her main guns took out another   
Berserker as she swerved, and then it was the   
Hopebringer's turn.  
  
The superdreadnought used its brief reprieve   
to go back on the offensive, pouring a hurricane  
of fire from its surviving weapon systems into  
the surrounding enemy vessels, and ship after   
ship blew up. Even as they died, the flagship's  
main engines began moving her clear of the Imperial   
blockade.  
  
"This is Admiral Iblis. Good work, Stallion."  
  
"Thank you, Admiral."  
  
The commander suspected that her satisfied   
smile was being duplicated all over the ship.  
  
{We did it!}  
  
"Now prepare to retreat."  
  
"Retreat?!"  
  
Startled, Ayla turned back toward the main screen   
and punched in a request for an update on the battle.  
She had been so busy worrying about how they were   
going help the flagship that she hadn't been paying   
much attention to the status of the rest of the Rebel fleet.  
  
The resulting display was far worse   
then she could have possibly imagined.  
  
"Mother of the First Ones..."  
  
Earlier the fight had been on the verge of catastrophe,  
now it was a complete disaster. The Rebels were down to  
barely three quarters of the capital ships that they'd  
brought into the system, and their losses among the   
fighters and escorts had been even worse. Even now,   
most of the surviving ships were being driven into   
a last ditch defensive cluster that would last only   
as long as their remaining fighters could keep the   
swarms of Fang Intercepters off their flanks.   
  
Even as she watched, fresh scarlet icons appeared  
on the monitor as yet another pair of dreadnoughts  
jumped into the system to join the sixty already  
hammering away at the Rebel fleet.  
  
That was bad enough, aside from the flagship  
the heaviest unit class they'd brought were only  
battleships, and they only had forty of them   
left now. But the Imps *also* had a solid wedge   
of five superdreadnoughts supported by a full   
screen of lighter units, and the Rebels didn't  
have anything which could possibly stop them.  
  
It wasn't possible, it went against every existing   
Imperial doctrine, but they bastards had finally done it.  
The Empire had finally intergrated their heaviest ships  
of the wall with the rest of the Imperial Fleet.   
  
Always before the reigning emperors had been too  
paranoid about putting that kind of firepower   
in *any* admiral's hands, but the new Emperor   
had somehow found a flag officer they could rely on.  
And those five ships were the hammer that was   
going to smash the Rebels against the anvil of   
the dreadnoughts and the rest of the Imperial   
fleet.   
  
"All ships, this is the Flag. Prepare to withdraw from the system."  
  
With a sense of numb horror, Ayla realized   
that the only chance the Fleet now had was to try   
and outrun the trap before it closed shut   
around them. And the only way they could   
do it was for the more expendable ships to drop   
back and play rearguard in order to buy the slower   
capital units the time they needed to break off   
and clear the hyperlimit.(4)  
  
"Carriers and transports are first priority.  
All other remaining units fall back to hold  
off the enemy."  
  
Even as Admiral Iblis's orders went out,   
a small part of Ayla's mind idly wondered   
how many of them were going to survive   
the coming gauntlet.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-Busted  
  
Ranma gingerly held the intelligent sword at arm's length.  
  
[R-A-N-M-A ! ! !]  
  
The martial artist cringed on the roof he was currently perched on.  
  
Ishtar was *PISSED*!  
  
He would rather fight hordes of bloodthirsty monsters   
any day then have to face the goddess's spirit when   
she was angry. Less pain and suffering that way.  
  
{Er...would it help if I said I'm sorry?}  
  
[NO!!]  
  
{Oh.}   
  
So much for that idea.  
  
[DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?! I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE DIED!!!}  
  
At times like this Ranma wished that the bond   
between himself and the rune weapon was not so   
"intense". He could literally experience her   
honest concern, the fear and anguish that her   
outraged front hid, and it made him feel even   
worse. Worse, he knew that she knew that he was  
picking up her emotions.  
  
Guilt was not something that Ranma knew how to deal with very well.  
  
{Ishtar.}  
  
So he did the very first thing that came to mind.  
  
[What are you doing?!]  
  
He expanded the link between them, embracing her with his presence.   
The thin line between his consciousness and hers blurred and through   
their connection he tried to reassure her at the most basic level.  
  
[Ran-ma?!]  
  
The sudden unexpectedness of it caught her off guard. Ishtar was swept away   
in the sudden influx of her owner's innermost thoughts and feelings.  
  
Normally it was only while he slept that Ranma revealed this side  
of himself to her. Even in battle he reserved something back when   
they joined together to fight. For some reason that not even Ishtar   
had been able to figure out during their partnership, Ranma seemed   
to always be trying to keep a part of himself at a distance emotionally   
from other people. She suspected that it had something to do with that   
strange mental block deep within his mind. It bothered her that there   
seemed to be a gap in his memories, an empty hole from shortly before   
they had met that she suspected might hold the answers to her dear but   
often confusing Cosmoknight. But Ranma had always avoided the subject   
whenever she'd brought it up and although she was curious, she would never   
attempt to violate his consciousness by trying to find out without his permission.  
  
And yet now he was letting her inside of him, letting her feel his   
genuine remorse and his reaffirmation of the promise he had made   
with Ishtar.   
  
[{Together.   
The bond that marked them both.   
She was his and he was hers.  
Always touching, never apart.  
Yin to Yang, an elemental joining that only death could sever.}]  
  
She clung to his mental presence with a strength born of uncounted  
millenia of loneliness, seizing the comfort and reassurance his soul  
offered and almost crying with relief that he was really here,   
that she wasn't alone again.  
  
{Ah?! Ahh!! Please don't cry! Ack!}  
  
For Ranma, the sensations coming from the sword were   
practically the same thing as if she'd actually started   
crying in his arms. And if there was one thing that *really*  
sent him into a panic, a crying female was it.  
  
[Dummy. You big dummy.]  
  
She couldn't seem to stop herself, the relief after   
that long awful suspense of not knowing was too great.   
Her bottled up emotions needed release, and so Ishtar   
wept tears of thought while her owner awkwardly held her   
and absorbed the tempest of her feelings as they swept   
through him.  
  
Ranma's sense of time faded as he rode out the storm,  
but he eventually sensed a shift in the turbulance of  
his partner's spirit.   
  
{Ah...Are you alright now?}  
  
The rune weapon glowed softly.  
  
[Just hold me a little while longer.]  
  
{Okay.}  
  
-To be continued...  
  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
1) -dono: an honorific attached to the end of a person's name similar to -san and -chan.  
But it is more formal and indicative of considerable respect, also used a lot by  
a certain red headed rurouni...:P  
  
2) EMP: ElectroMagnetic Pulse; a burst of electromagnetic energy normally produced by a nuclear reaction  
that is infamous for frying electronic circuits.  
  
3) Fighter Capital Assault Missile (FCAM): Big missiles equipped with heavy antimatter warheads,   
the preferred weapon of choice for fighters to use   
against larger warships. The main problem with them   
is that their size limits the amount that can be carried  
by the fighter, 2-6 is a standard payload. Not effective   
against small targets like fighters or power armor.  
  
4) Hyperlimit: The gravitational boundary surrounding a planet/star   
within which no ship can go into hyperspace (faster then light).  
Attempting to do so is a fast way to commit suicide,  
since FTL drives tend to blow up when used inside the   
hyperlimit. Ships also tend to lose against planetary  
bodies when they collide since planets and stars are   
bigger and more massive then they are. Size *does* matter. :P 


	25. Chapter 4b: Retribution

[A little late to be worried about being discovered now, wouldn't you say?]  
  
{Maybe. Maybe not. But there's no sense inviting even more trouble.}  
  
Ishtar was of course referring to his decision to travel by roof.  
Despite the lack of awareness that most people had to what took   
place over their heads, those that *did* pay attention were also  
the ones most likely to make his current situation even more complicated  
then it already was, and wouldn't *that* be fun?  
  
Of course there were ways to hide his presence from those who might  
be watching. Unfortunately most of them either needed equipment   
he didn't have on him or required energy he couldn't afford to spare.   
The most he could do at the moment was stick to the growing   
shadows and hope for the best.  
  
It wasn't an ideal solution, but it would have to do for now.  
  
Ranma shifted the bundled up sword slightly higher up on his back  
to distribute the weight more efficiently as he ran. The dragon bone   
sheath masked much of his partner's magical signature from detection.  
But she could do nothing about the glitter of silver or flashing jewels,   
hence the wrapping of grey fairy silk around her hilt and pommel. The knight   
knew that he was already running a risk by keeping her out even with   
their precautions, but it would be more then his life was worth to try   
and store Ishtar away now.  
  
{We're going to need help.}  
  
[You can't be serious about asking those girls, they're just *kids*!]  
  
{If you've got a better idea then I'm all for it. But these "kids" are already   
in the middle of this battle whether they know it or not. I've worked   
with worse raw material before, but I suspect that they're made of sterner   
stuff then you might think. Besides, if those girls don't know what's   
going on then they'll just end up getting in my way.}  
  
The thought of going to Belldandy and her sisters for aid was discarded   
almost as soon as it popped up. She was a healer, not a fighter.  
  
And he would be damned first before putting an innocent like her in   
the line of fire. The other two weren't exactly combat material either.  
Belldandy had explained that their portfolios were related to the Past,   
Present and Future. That might make them useful for consultations  
and other support functions, but it in no way qualified even a goddess   
for the rigors of the battlefield.  
  
Now that he knew who and what his enemy was, Ranma was already starting   
to plot out future potential means of attack. A frontal assault was out   
of the question for the forseeable future. Despite the incredible powers   
at his command, he was still *heavily* outclassed by an Alien Intelligence   
of Metall'a's caliber. That and going after the fiend directly would mean   
facing her on her terms, in her home dimension.   
  
A place where the Intelligence would have every possible advantage and then some.  
  
No. Ranma might be a little nuts, but he wasn't a complete idiot.  
  
He couldn't hope to stop her directly, not without a heck of a lot more firepower   
and allies then just those silly Senshi. The best he could hope to do right now   
was slow her forces down and cause as much damage to her support base as possible   
in order to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.  
  
{It should be enough. I hope.}  
  
The Knight wished again that he'd brought along his standard Anti-Intelligence   
equipment. Since they took up so much space and were a real pain in the ass   
to lug around he'd opted to leave them behind, figuring that since he was   
going on vacation he wouldn't need them anyway. But now he wished that he'd gone   
through the trouble of lugging along at least one of those 750 megaton anti-warship   
mines. Those suckers could give a dreadnought a bad case of thermonuclear indigestion,   
and they worked just as well on large ancient tentacled monstrosities.  
  
{Well, there's no point wishing for what I don't have.   
So let's work with the hand we have and take the cards   
as they're dealt.}  
  
Of course this Cosmoknight *did* still have a few tricks up his sleeve.  
He hadn't come here *completely* emptyhanded. And while the local equipment  
was crude, it should have a solid enough tech base for what he had in mind.  
  
{First on the list is to get those girls some half-way decent armor.  
Fighting in mini-skirts...if I ever get my hands on the idiot who came   
up with *that* idea!}  
  
Like it or not, the Senshi were going to be stuck with him for awhile.  
  
He wouldn't abandon them.   
  
That would be like pushing newborn fawns into the maw of a hungry   
great white shark. He didn't know how they had managed to survive   
for so long against the likes of Metall'a (though luck seemed to   
have played a major role), but they were facing an enemy totally   
beyond their comprehension. This wasn't a game, the stakes here   
were beyond life and death.  
  
They could hate his guts as much as they liked *after* he whipped them into shape.   
  
Hurt feelings would eventually mend.   
  
Getting one's soul ripped out of one's still living body tended to be much more permanent.  
  
Therefore Ranma was going to help them to the best of his abilities,   
whether they wanted his assistance or not.  
  
It was his duty.   
  
More importantly, it was the right thing to do.  
  
"Never again."  
  
He would not fail a second time.  
  
And these "Sailor Senshi" were about to find out just   
how stubborn a Cosmoknight who had made up his mind   
could be.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
Private Bet #10  
by Shade   
  
Chapter IV: First Strikes  
  
Disclaimer: *Insert Standard Disclaimer of Ranma 1/2 being the creation   
of Rumiko Takahashi & Rifts being the property of Pallidium Games here*  
  
Thank you, the few, the patient, my prereaders. ^_^'  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Part B: Retribution  
  
"Never confuse honor with stupidity!"  
-Drizzt Do'Urden  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
For fifteen agonizing minutes the outnumbered Rebel   
vanguard had held off the advancing Imperial dreadnoughts.  
They fought and died in defense of their fellows as ship   
after battered ship jumped out of the system.  
  
Only when the last of their cripples still capable of  
FTL had withdrawn did the remaining ships and their   
escorts finally begin to make their own escape.   
  
"How much longer?"  
  
Ayla felt horribly drained. The sheer scale   
of the Rebel casualties should not have existed   
in any sane universe.  
  
"Hawkcrest is transiting now, Commander."  
  
A flicker of light from a hundred thousand kilometers  
astern and the disappearance of a friendly signature   
from the screen marked the heavy cruiser's departure   
to the safety of hyperspace.  
  
"BattleCom reports that all of our surviving capital ships   
have left the system. We're receiving clearance to break off   
and jump out now."  
  
She didn't have to see her comm officer's face   
to know what she would find there.   
  
The same thing that was being reflected in the eyes of the rest of the crew.   
  
Defeat.   
  
With an angry grimace, the commander turned her thoughts away   
from the demoralized direction they were heading towards.  
  
Yes, this battle was lost, but the war was far from over.  
  
"Tania, call the troops in."  
  
"Aye, Commander!"  
  
"Marines, we are leaving! Get your butts in cause this ride is checking out now!"  
  
"Rodger that!"  
  
The marine's dropship, a modified heavy assault shuttle with enough firepower   
to lay waste to a large country, scrambled out to meet its parent ship.   
Escorting power armors covered her battered flanks, staying close to protect  
against any pounces by enemy armors. There were many fresh blast marks on her   
heavily scorched hull. Only her rear batteries responded to the harassing  
fire of a pair of medium fighters dogging her tail, a sure sign that her   
missile launchers were exhausted.   
  
As she came into range the Stallion's rear weaponry gave the smaller vessel   
additional covering fire, driving off the Kreeghor fighters with a barrage  
of blue laser fire. The heavy shuttle lined up with its parent ship, coming in   
for a landing in the launch bay. Located in the lower belly of the ship,   
the bay and fighter hangers were faced toward the rear. This allowed the main body   
of the ship to serve as a shield during the most vulnerable part of launch   
and during a retreat such as this made recovery of her craft simpler   
by allowing them to come in by simply following after the corvette.  
  
"Marines recovered!"  
  
"Sammy!"  
  
"We're outta here!!"  
  
~~~~~~  
  
He was just within sight of the Tendo home when it first hit.  
  
{Gyaaaaa!!}  
  
Ranma dropped to his knees, clutching his suddenly pounding head   
as savage raw fire danced around inside his brain. It was the   
great grandmother-in-law of all headaches and she had a serious   
case of PMS to boot. Neurons flared up, misfired, and smashed   
into each other in a million scrambled collisions that made   
him feel like someone had taken an icepick to the inside of   
his skull and was trying to dig a hole down to America through it.   
  
{Gyaaaaahhh!!!}  
  
He hadn't had this kind of a migraine since...oh crap.  
  
{Not them. Not now!}  
  
The intensity quickly fell to an ugly dull throbbing,   
but refused to disappear entirely. And if he was right   
as to what was the cause, it was probably only going   
to get worse unless he did something about it...and quickly.  
  
[Something I should know?]  
  
{*Long* story.}  
  
[Let me guess. They want to kill you.]  
  
{Yeah. That about sums it up.}  
  
[...That was supposed to be a joke.]  
  
Ranma braced himself. She wasn't going to like what he was going tell her next.  
  
{This is something I have to do alone.}  
  
[LIKE HELL YOU ARE!!]  
  
{Ow! Ow! Ow!}  
  
The knight clutched his head. Oh yeah, she *really* wasn't happy with him now.  
  
{Somebody has to watch over my father and the Tendos. I can't risk   
the chance that they might get traced to me while I'm gone, and   
you're the only one I can trust to be able to protect them.}  
  
[...Damnit!]  
  
Ishtar tried to find a flaw in his logic she could argue against, but failed.  
It irked her to no end, but he was right. She was the only one he could count   
on. They were cut off from his regular support network on this backwater   
planet and the only potential allies he had were a bunch of unreliable little  
girls who were barely out of diapers (from an immortal standpoint at least).  
  
He needed her here.  
  
{If it makes you feel better, I promise I'll be careful.}  
  
Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel a rise of grudging humor   
of that thought coming from -him- of all people.  
  
[...Why do I let you talk me into these things?]  
  
Ranma promised himself that he would make this up to her later, somehow.   
  
{Because you're a good person, partner.}  
  
[Get going before I change my mind!]  
  
The sheathed blade rose from the knight's back as he turned around and sped off.  
  
Ishtar levitated up to the rooftops and prepared   
to sneak her way inside the Tendo residence.  
  
[One of these days....]  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A few surviving stragglers and a thin screen of fighters were the only   
remaining Rebel forces in space now. They, like the Stallion, were   
attempting to make their own escape from the system. But the overwhelming   
numbers of Imperial ships hounding them every step of the way were   
exacting a grim toll.  
  
"Fourteen point six minutes till we clear the hyperlimit."  
  
"How long until those battlecruisers reach optimal firing range?"  
  
"Fourteen point six two minutes."   
  
Each passing minute saw fewer friendly icons on the Stallion's viewscreen.  
A light cruiser vanished in a white explosion from an unlucky hit directly   
amidships by an Imperial battlecruiser. One outnumbered Rebel fighter   
after another fell victim to the enemy Fangs relentlessly pursuing them   
like a swarm of angry hornets. The fighters didn't even have to destroy   
the ships they chased, simply crippling their engines ensured that  
they would fall within reach of the Juggernaut following in their wake.  
  
"This is Grey leader, we can't hold them off any longer!"  
  
When the dwindling screen finally broke into a wild scattering   
of individual units less then thirty of them were left to run.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Silent as a ghost he dashed from roof to roof, staying well out of range   
of the neon lights that illuminated the streets below. Despite having   
already slept the night before, he would have given much for a few hours   
of rest now. Although he'd projected a confident front to Ishtar earlier,   
the day's events had taken a lot out of him, both physically and mentally.   
His wounds ached all over, a dull throbbing that reached into the very marrow   
of his bones, a sharp reminder that his regenerative capabilities were still   
badly depleted.   
  
His head felt even worse, if that was possible.  
  
But that wasn't the really bad news.  
  
His PPE reserve, that stored power he counted on for almost all of his   
special techniques and advanced abilities was pretty much dry at the moment.   
It would take him weeks to get back up to full strength without any assistance,   
and the lack of any active ley lines here left him with few other options   
to speed up his recovery.  
  
Definitely *not* good.  
  
Once again Ranma reminded himself that it was his own damn fault he was in this mess.  
  
But he always learned from his mistakes.   
  
Since the universe seemed bound and determined to deny him   
a vacation the only thing left was to do what he did best.   
  
And he would start with those Never-to-be-damned-enough Darksiders   
who'd decided to come calling without an invitation.  
  
They actually weren't so dangerous to him because of their powers.  
  
Aside from one or two tricks most of the traditional Force abilities   
didn't work very well on his supernaturally toughened body. Closing  
off his windpipe was useless since he didn't really need to breathe  
in the first place. The mind tricks he'd learned to resist, thanks   
in part to various psychic friends...and enemies. Even lightsabers   
by themselves were ineffective against his energy resistance, being   
little more then concentrated laser blades locked in a contained   
feedback loop.  
  
No, the real problem was his blasted allergy to the Sith.  
  
Saotome still wasn't exactly sure of the specific cause,   
but he suspected that it might have something to do with   
their corruptive effect on the Force. His teacher had   
explained the semi-mystical energy as being generated   
by both life and nature, much like how PPE was formed.   
  
While Ranma was Force-blind, his natural PPE base was "attuned"   
to his environment. Much like how an orchestra of musical   
instruments blended together to form a single rhythm,   
Ranma theorized that there was a similar relationship between   
the semi-mystical energies of the Force and the Psychic energies  
of supernatural beings such as himself. A Sith who tapped into   
the Dark Side of the Force probably generated something similar   
to discordant feedback, disrupting that natural harmony.   
  
And there *was* a sort of a precedent for his condition.  
  
During his training under Sensei Skywalker he'd learned that   
in certain cases Jedi and Sith could sense each other's  
presence, sometimes even across vast interstellar distances.   
  
Ranma's own reaction was similar to that, but shorter ranged   
and much more reliable. He'd learned firsthand (much to his dismay)   
that the range of his own reaction to their foul presence didn't   
reach much beyond a normal plantary radius. But the real problem   
was that its intensity didn't depend on distance so much as duration.   
The longer he was exposed to the supernatural feedback they generated,   
the worse his symptoms would get and at an ever accelerating rate.   
  
But at least he'd gotten a temporary reprieve for the moment,   
it seemed that his current lack of PPE also reduced the sensitivity   
of his "allergy".   
  
But the sooner he got rid of these Sith the better off he would be.  
  
Fortunately, his reaction also made it easy to track them down.   
  
All Ranma had to do was go in the direction that made him feel the worst.  
  
And at least he could take some comfort from the fact that their   
migraines were probably almost as bad as his was right now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"He is close, Master."  
  
Mere psychic discomfort meant nothing to them.  
  
Pain was Strength.   
  
"Patience, my young apprentice. He will come to us."  
  
Pain was Power.  
  
"At last, we shall finally have our revenge."  
  
Those were all that truly mattered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So when are you going to tell us why you're so fired up about that little pigsticker?"  
  
Britanny Diggers (currently in human form since public airports tended   
to react badly to the presence of were-creatures) was bored. For someone   
used to just dashing around at sub-sonic levels waiting in line wasn't   
the worst torture in the world, but it came darn well close to it!  
  
"Remember my research on Jade's historical artifacts?"  
  
"You mean that superweapon that nearly got us all killed?"  
  
"No, that was the Betaen temple."  
  
"I thought the Betaen temple was the one where Brianna blew the ceiling   
out with that oversized rail gun of hers?"  
  
"No! I'm talking about those ruins I discovered near the old dwarven mines on Jade."  
  
"Oh! Come again?"  
  
Gina Diggers sighed. Sometimes she thought that her adopted   
sister did this to her on purpose. Why was it that nobody else   
in her family could grasp the thrills of scientific discovery?  
  
"Weren't you paying *any* attention to the symbols on that sword?"  
  
Britanny gave her a blank look.  
  
"You mean those Asgardian Dwarven battle runes on the hilt   
or the High Elven script etched into the blade itself?"  
  
Two jaws dropped as their owners served to stare at a grinning Brianna.  
  
"Heh heh heh! Don't look so surprised, remember I have big sister's memories  
up here too. Including the ones of those boring ancient language studies."  
  
She emphasized her statement by tapping one finger against the side of her head.  
  
"Yessiree, I'm one sharp cookie!"  
  
Unfortunately none of the girls or their escorts noticed   
the three rats stealthily keeping tabs on them.  
  
Nor did they know about the half a dozen or so privately chartered   
planes already taking off ahead of their flight and bound for the   
same eventual destination...Tokyo, Japan.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Somewhere in Southern Florida, a butterfly was flapping its wings like crazy.  
  
~~~~~~~~   
  
It hadn't taken him too long to pinpoint their location.  
  
An old rusting warehouse in the bay area. Not what he  
would have expected as their choice for a battlefield.  
  
Ranma didn't know whether to be amused or insulted.  
  
The general area was empty of life and only a few   
yellowed lights lit the gloom here. Which was just  
as well. Tonight the odors of the sea and the industrial   
garbage polluting it had been joined by another scent.  
  
The sweet stench of seared human flesh.  
  
The dismembered bodies of the three guards outside were still warm   
to the touch when he found them. A closer examination quickly revealed   
the intricate full body tattoos that marked the corpses for what they were.   
  
Yakuza, the organized crime families of Japan.   
  
A problem to be dealt with at a later time, right now   
he had bigger fish to fry. Still it was nice to know   
that any property damage that took place tonight would   
be felt by people who probably deserved it.  
  
One hand dipped into his quasi-subspace pocket to retrieve what he needed.  
  
The long metallic cylinder slid easily into his grip like an old friend.  
  
For a long moment he simply held it, letting his reflexes adjust  
to the familar grip and weight. It had been years since he'd   
last taken this out, but Ranma was confident that he hadn't forgotten   
how to use one of these things.   
  
There were other weapons he could have used. But this simple elegance   
simply felt "right" to him. And there was also tradition to consider.   
While he tended to bend most of the rules a bit, this particular custom   
wasn't one of them.  
  
Besides, this brought back many other memories. Some good, some bad,   
and a few really embarassing ones that he hoped the others had forgotten   
about by now. Lowbacca's fur should have grown back already, and it  
wasn't like he'd *meant* to flash half the galaxy during that  
Bothan's speech. As for the nerf manure incident, Fett was the one  
who'd shot out the transport's engines so why didn't they go blame him?  
  
"Learn from the Past you must, or else repeat the same mistakes you will."  
  
Ranma froze. He hadn't sensed a thing.   
How could anyone sneak up on him so easily?!  
  
"Surprised are you? How do you survive this long,   
so careless to what goes on around you, heh?"  
  
One eyebrow shot up as he slowly turned to face   
the origin of that strange amused cackle.  
  
"Eh heh heh! Too reckless you are. My help you will need."  
  
He had never seen this person before, but Luke had told him enough   
about his own training for Ranma to make a reasonable guess about   
this softly glowing figure's identity.  
  
"Yoda-dono, I presume?"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Kasumi was worried.  
  
Akane and Nabiki had both come home a long time ago,  
but there was still no sign whatsoever of their new   
houseguest.  
  
And he'd forgotten his lunch today!  
  
The horror! The horror!!  
  
Her dear fiance wasn't eating properly!  
  
He might need to be tenderly nursed back to health.  
  
With long sponge baths....  
  
And warm oil massages....  
  
Of course one couldn't forget the whipped cream too!  
  
"Kasumi? Kasumi?"  
  
Akane waved her hand in front of her sister as the   
older girl stared at nothing in particular with that   
odd little smile on her face. The thin line of drool  
creeping its way down the corner of her mouth was  
particularly disturbing.  
  
"Ewww."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
[Hmmph.]  
  
Silly mortals.   
  
Why had her Ranma ever agreed to live with these people?  
  
The youngest was a weakling who thought herself strong.  
  
The second daughter, merely a petty con-artist with delusions of adequacy.  
  
And the eldest girl *really* needed to get laid.  
  
The young woman's surpressed hormones were so strong that   
they were beginning to finally leak through Ishtar's psychic   
defenses and in the process giving the Rune Weapon a glimpse  
at a whole bunch of erotic fantasies that she *really* didn't   
need to know about.   
  
[Damn oversexed virgins. Those meek and quiet ones are always trouble.]  
  
Bad enough that the former goddess hadn't been able to get any   
of the real thing since being imprisoned in this damn sword.   
  
But *this*, this horrible experience was more then someone with   
her raging libido should ever be forced to endure.  
  
[I'd *KILL* for some fingers and the proper equipment to use them in right now.]  
  
Ranma was going to owe her *BIG* for this.  
  
[Whoever said misery loves company was either a liar or a fool.]  
  
At least she could safely ignore the other two occupants of the home.  
  
If Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome had ever possessed a single brain cell   
between them, it had long since perished from sheer loneliness.  
  
She didn't feel that those two bums deserved any protection,   
but Ranma disagreed. He might not like them very much,   
but that didn't mean they were any less deserving of protection.   
Not that she could fault him for his compassion, it was that same  
quality that had contributed to her own feelings for her owner.   
She just wished he could have bestowed it on more deserving individuals.   
  
And without Ranma here, she could only tap into her lesser powers.   
  
That limited her efforts, but if push came to shove and there was   
a real emergency she could form a temporary link with a willing subject.   
It wasn't anywhere close to what her bond with her partner could do,   
but aT least it was something.  
  
The only problem was her choices for a wielder were a violent numbskull,   
a petty thief or a horny ditz.  
  
[Yay. Lucky me.]  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Katrina had discovered something new today.  
  
*BLEAGH*  
  
She had no stomach for space travel. Literally.  
  
*BLEAURGH*  
  
While the green faced adventuress paid her tribute   
to the porcelain throne, the captain of the Stick  
In Your Eye had more pressing concerns.   
  
Namely the three Imperial cruisers and their   
destroyer escorts that had just broken out  
of the planet's orbital traffic and dropped   
into a pursuit course behind them.  
  
Phaseworld's space defenses were already deploying  
to counter this outrageous breach of the system's   
strict neutrality policy. Ghost fighters and Promethean  
Phase cruisers erupted from from the sixteen titanic  
space stations surrounding the planet like a swarm  
of angry bees. But they were being held up by the mass   
confusion and snarled traffic resulting from the hundreds   
of merchant ships and foreign military ships that were trying   
to scramble out of their way. And the Imperial ships already   
had a good head start.  
  
"They've launched fighters."  
  
"Tell me something I don't know, Auntie."  
  
"One of your "easy money" passengers just   
jammed your personal lavatory with vomit."  
  
"...."  
  
"You *did* ask for that one, Captain."  
  
"Not another word, Murray."  
  
Captain Bill and his crew soon had more pressing concerns   
as the first enemy missiles began to launch.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Minako was pondering many things.  
  
Love.   
  
Duty.   
  
Danburite's Curse.  
  
As she had chosen her duty over her feelings,   
so had she been condemned to never know happiness  
while she served as a Senshi.  
  
She had denied its power over her at first, but the passage of   
time had shown that *something* was undeniably effective in   
making sure her love life only existed in her imagination.  
  
Needless to say, Mina was not a happy camper.  
  
While she valued her friendship and duty with her fellow Senshi,  
the prospect of a life empty of companionship from the male gender  
made the future look rather bleak, to put it mildly.  
  
And now there was this new factor in the equation.  
  
Something about their rescuer had seemed oddly...familiar.  
  
As if she'd met him before, but of course that was impossible.   
  
Wasn't it?  
  
But that faint tickle of recognition still remained.  
  
And that same little voice was telling her that she'd finally   
found the key to breaking free from the Curse.   
  
Now if only she could figure out *how* he was so important.  
  
Not to mention, what kind of girl boated his balloon?  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Come on girls! I know you can do better then that!"  
  
"I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Grandma's training!"  
  
"Dear Kami-sama! I can't feel my feet anymore!   
Please just let this torture end!"  
  
"How long have we been practicing?"  
  
"Seven hours."  
  
"And we're going to keep doing this until all of you get it right."  
  
The slavedriv-er-Mrs. Saotome gave her doomed vict-wards a stern look.  
  
After all, if they wanted to be the brides of a man among men   
then they were going to have to *earn* it!  
  
"Pay attention girls, you bend this way, then apply pressure here,   
and finally flex like-*so*!"  
  
*pop*  
  
Nodoka also believed in teaching by example.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"...."  
  
"...."  
  
"...."  
  
"...."  
  
There were few things that could leave the  
spirits, heroes, and assorted other spectators  
gathered for the Private Bet at a loss for words.  
  
*That* scene had been one of them.  
  
"I-I'm never going to be able to look at a fruit salad the same way ever again."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Go to rapid fire on all tubes with what we've got left till the bays run dry."  
  
"Commander, we're down to less then five percent of our missile reserves."  
  
"I knoW. Do it."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am."  
  
Twelve battlecruisers and a swarm of smaller frigates,  
cruisers and destroyers filled the screen of her plot.   
Once it had become clear to the Imps that they wouldn't   
be able to catch the Rebel Fleet, they'd sent those two   
battle squadrons along with a whole mess of fighters to   
"mop up" the survivors while the main Imperial forces set   
course for the doomed planet.   
  
Ayla swore underneath her breath.   
  
There was no way they could slow their own departure,   
but at the same time she couldn't just abandon those pilots.   
They'd risked themselves to buy the Fleet the time it needed   
to escape, they were owed that same chance to get out.  
  
She opened a channel to the hanger bay.  
  
"Open the doors, we'll take as many of the ones that   
can't jump out as we can squeeze in."  
  
"Rodger."  
  
The commander turned.  
  
"Com!"  
  
"Already on it. Hailing them now."  
  
{This is going to be close...}  
  
Three Broadswords were the first to reach the ship, the lean  
craft fighter bodies heavily scarred with the marks of battle.  
  
A worn looking Black Eagle knockoff tried to follow,   
only to vanish a moment later in a sphere of nuclear flame   
as one of the pursuing missiles caught up to it.  
  
Another Rebel fighter managed to make it in.  
  
Half a dozen more died as they raced for the corvette.  
  
And then the desperate long range fire from   
the Stallion's launchers finally ceased.  
  
"That's it, we're out."  
  
The commander heard the helmswoman, but her attention  
was locked on to the main plot.  
  
Missiles were coming in fast and furious now.   
  
ECM and point defense did their best.  
  
But there were simply too many targets to  
deal with and not enough time to get them all.   
The space around the ship's rear erupted as her   
overstretched defenses fought desperately against   
the increasingly accurate fire of her pursuers.  
  
Their only consolation was that at least the battlecruisers   
were weak in capital missile launchers and so couldn't   
contribute much to the long range pounding.   
  
Some of the smaller vessels actually tried to close   
the range unsupported by the larger but slower   
battlecruisers, emboldened by the silence that now   
greeted their own missile barrages.   
  
But only until the Stallion's heavy rear spinal mount laser   
burned down the first Imperial destroyer that foolishly   
entered the rebel ship's energy envelope.  
  
After that, the other ships wisely stayed out of her range.  
  
A pair of Scorpion Light Fighters docked, barely beating  
the storm of fire that sought them out. One of them lost  
a thruster at the last minute and screeched against the floor   
as the craft's pilot fought to keep from ramming into any of   
the other hastily parked craft. Emergency restraints and   
forcefields sprang up to catch the skidding fighter while   
the stink of ozone and scorched circuitry filled the bay.  
  
And then there were four.  
  
A damaged Proctor Interceptor led the way, the largest fighter class   
ever made, it was almost a sixth the size of the corvette and drawing  
most of the fire due to its size. Two battered Rapier medium fighters   
clung to her flanks like limpets and did their best to act as decoys.   
But there was little else they could do to protect the larger craft.   
  
But the last sensor reading caught her attention.  
  
Because that distinctive profile registered as *organic*.  
  
That was no ship. It was a Vacuum Wasp!  
  
She was still watching the screen when the Proctor blew up.  
  
One of the Rapiers died as it plunged headfirst into the explosion,   
disintergrating into a cloud of molten metal and flame. The other   
one managed to pull up in time, surviving long enough to make it   
to the safety of corvette's hanger.   
  
As did the Wasp.  
  
And the Commander knew that they'd done all they could.  
  
"Okay, that's it. Now let's-"  
  
A proximity alarm screamed.  
  
"Imperial Star Ghost coming out of Phase off to port!"  
  
"Batteries six and seven, take that bastard ou-"  
  
"It's hailing us!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
The ancient stone temple had stood on this quiet world   
as long as any could remember, slowly crumbling into  
ruins as entropy sought to claim its prize.  
  
But as with many things here, appearances were deceptive.  
  
Despite its poor appearance this temple had survived   
the rise and fall of dozens of civilizations on worlds   
that had all but been forgotten in modern times. It had   
been here when the Starkillers began their bloody reign   
of conquest, been visited by the Dominators at the height   
of their dominion and had watched all of them fall under   
the weight of history.   
  
Now Ironclaw had come to these sacred grounds in search of answers.  
  
And he would have them. One way or another.  
  
As the captain stepped out from the shuttle his elite armored  
shock troops stepped into escort positions on his flanks,   
their pulse rifles held at a respectful readiness.  
  
Not that the Ironclaw needed them. But they would serve as   
a notice to all who were watching just how serious he was   
about his mission here. With a nod and a gesture from their  
commander they dispersed to defensive positions around the temple.  
  
Ironclaw intended for this meeting to be for his eyes and ears only.  
  
His dark boots rang out loudly on the worn and crumbling   
white marble tiles that made up the temple's main courtyard.   
  
A robed delegation from the Oracles was waiting for him inside the temple proper.  
  
It was a large structure, much larger when viewed from within then its  
worn appearance from the outside would have led an observer to believe.  
  
Even Captain Rashul was not completely immune   
to the ageless feeling of his surroundings.  
  
Here was a place that commanded respect.  
  
"We know why you have come here, Rashulnol Tholelaen Jarenza."  
  
The voice was old but still strong and steady, untouched by the usual   
ravages of age. Its tone was neither completely male or female, but   
shared qualities from both genders.  
  
Ironclaw's eyes narrowed dangerously at the use of his true name.  
  
"Who dares?"  
  
From the head of the delegation stepped forth a robed figure no larger   
then a young human child. The speaker's features had been greatly worn   
down by time's passage, but his step was firm and his light crystal grey   
eyes were focused and unclouded.  
  
"You sought this temple out for its knowledge, should you be so surprised   
that this information is also put to use?"  
  
"You are the High Priest here?"  
  
"For now, yes."  
  
"I do not tolerate being toyed with. I am here for answers, not riddles."  
  
"There are always answers here for those with the ability to see them."  
  
Only sheer willpower restrained Ironclaw's hands from reaching out   
to snap the babbling priest's neck.  
  
"You bandy words with me at your peril, Priest."  
  
"No. You simply refuse to understand. Vengence guides your path,   
but you are only that which you yourself chose to become."  
  
Something in the High Priest's piercing gaze held him in check.  
  
"The road you travel will cross again with that which you seek,   
rest assured. You will face Ranma Saotome again. That much of  
the future at least is certain."  
  
Ironclaw's eyes narrowed.  
  
"But in the end, you will come to regret this. From the ash's   
of victory will come your doom. Only in defeat will you finally   
find your peace."  
  
"Where is Saotome?"  
  
The final warning in his voice was clear.  
  
"He is where he is meant to be. As the Tide of Darkness turns,   
Look for him within the Anvil's Heart."  
  
Captain Rashul turned and stalked out without another word.  
  
He'd gotten what he had come here for.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Know of me, do you?"  
  
"Greatest of the Jedi Masters, hero of the Clone Wars,   
and reputedly the deadliest lightsaber duelist of the   
Old Republic. One tends to pick up a few things here   
and there."  
  
"Titles do not make one great."  
  
"True. But since I'm currently holding a conversation   
with the spirit of a long deceased Jedi, I can't help   
but be more then a little curious as to why you of all  
people are here."  
  
"Told you I have, teach you I can."  
  
"Er, no offense, but I've already been to the Jedi Academy."  
  
"Incomplete, your training is. Left too soon, you did.  
Underestimate the danger, you do. Not so easily thwarted   
is the Dark Side. Once down the dark path you start,   
forever will it dominate your destiny."  
  
The muscles in his jaw tightened.  
  
A part of him wanted to tell the apparition to leave   
and take its mumbo jumbo sayings with it. But a stronger   
internal voice warned him that the Jedi Master might   
be right. While he had been granted the status of Knight   
by Sensei Luke, as Yoda had said, a title was little more   
then just words. And truth be told, there had been some   
disturbing 'occurances' which had been occurring more   
and more frequently lately.  
  
Ranma shook his head to clear his thoughts.  
  
"Decided have you?"  
  
It would be foolish to reject this offer. Right now  
he needed all the help he could get, no matter how bizzare  
the source might be. Besides he'd been training under other people   
for most of his life anyway, this would be just like old times.  
  
"Would you *please* train me, Sensei Yoda?"  
  
The shade of the ancient Jedi Master gave him an amused grin.  
  
"Progress already you have made."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Thirty seconds to the hyperlimit!"  
  
Ayla knew she should have been concentrating on their flight,   
but her people knew their jobs. They didn't need her distracting  
them right now.  
  
"Imperial battlecruisers closing to energy range!"  
  
She couldn't help staring at the deceptively peaceful sight of   
the world they'd tried to save. The world that they'd abandoned  
to mercy of the Empire. And the people that they'd sentenced to death.  
  
"Jumping in 3..."  
  
It hurt. Like a dull piece of heated shrapnel had been shoved into her heart.  
  
It hurt all the more because she felt that they'd not only failed  
all those people but *him* as well.  
  
"2..."  
  
All of the old doubts were resurfacing. Was she really cut out for command?  
  
"1..."  
  
"They're in range!"  
  
"Drive engaged!"  
  
On the main screen the stars streaked into lines of light as the Stallion's   
FTL pulled the ship outside of the limitations of the Einsteinian Universe   
and into the safety of hyperspace.   
  
They'd made it.  
  
"Take us down to condition two. And get someone down to the hanger to  
deal with those pilots we picked up. Lieutenant, you have the watch."  
  
As the others relaxed from battlestations, Ayla got up and left the bridge.  
  
She walked until she found an empty viewport and then just gazed out at   
the beautiful flashing spectacle of hyperspace with troubled eyes.   
  
Like a grim statue, not even the slighest bit of emotion showing on her face.  
  
She stood there for a very long time.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ooooh."  
  
"Mihoshi? Are you feeling alright?"  
  
The normally energetic blonde policewoman didn't look so good.   
Her naturally flowing hairstyle had frazzled out and her darkly  
tanned skin was covered in a fine sweat.  
  
"Something funny is making my head hurt."  
  
Sasami dampened another cool compress   
and placed it on her friend's feverish head.   
  
"What do you mean by funny?"  
  
"Its like a big buzzing like those Earth cicadas   
make but coming from the inside and they sound sort of like   
two people who might be really bad but it isn't right to judge   
others by their appearance is what my mother always tells me   
and she's right because I've met lots of people who sound mean   
but really aren't and-Oooo...I feel dizzy now..."  
  
The rest of the household sweatdropped but also felt a little relieved.  
  
If Mihoshi was still able to ramble through every subject that came   
to her mind, then she probably wasn't in any real danger.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sith did not sweatdrop.  
  
"I have never felt such a powerful disturbance in the Force."  
  
"Is it the Jedi?"  
  
"No, this presence feels far too...too...fluffy."  
  
Nor did they facefault.  
  
But this time it was a close thing, even for them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sadly, the small figure shook its robed head as the last echos  
of the Atlantian's footsteps finally fell silent in the ancient halls.   
  
Its brethren dispersed back into to their duties, leaving the High Priest  
to stand among the relics of times and people long gone.  
  
But not alone.  
  
"It is done then."  
  
[Yes.]  
  
"And so our tale ends."  
  
[It should not have to be this way.]  
  
"Do not grieve. Our time passed long ago. It is to the children we must entrust our future to."   
  
[I am sorry.]  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"All batteries are locked on to the primary target as ordered, Sir."  
  
Ironclaw coldly studied the temple's bracketed image from over his officer's shoulder.  
  
There was absolutely no emotion in his voice as he gave the order.  
  
"Fire."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The handle clipped smoothly to the side of his belt.  
  
He was as ready as he'd ever be under these circumstances.  
  
"Challenge them alone will you?"  
  
The wrinkled little figure watched with eyes that   
seemed to measure him against an unknown standard   
and somehow found him lacking.  
  
It was *really* annoying.   
  
But he wasn't about to give his new teacher   
the satisfaction of seeing him react to this  
barely veiled disapproval.  
  
Patience had been the hardest learned lesson of all.  
  
"If you know of any other available Jedi, they're welcome to come."  
  
The ancient Master shook his head.  
  
"Too eager for the attack you are, much like your father."  
  
That verbal jab hit home.  
  
"My father is an idiot. And even then I may be giving him   
too much credit."  
  
The jagged steel in his tone did not escape the Jedi Master's notice.  
  
"Angry are you?"  
  
Ranma took a deep breath and held it for   
a long moment before letting it out.  
  
"I'd be lying if I said no."  
  
"Heh! Admit to your failings so easily you do."  
  
"I learned a long time ago that the truth might hurt,  
but lies will always come around and bite you on the ass."  
  
He started walking silently towards the warehouse.   
  
The shade of Yoda watched him go, his expression suddenly grave.  
  
"The path you tread between Light and Dark allows for no mistakes."   
  
Ranma paused for a moment in front of the door.  
  
His response was barely a whisper.  
  
"I know."  
  
He went inside without looking back.  
  
"Do you? Do you indeed?"  
  
A grudging look of respect briefly appeared on   
the old Jedi's face before the spirit's form  
faded into the night.  
  
"Perhaps I will be able to teach him after all."  
  
And then there was only the call of the wind and the sea.  
  
-To be c-o-n-t-i-n-u-e-d ! 


End file.
